Fresh Start
by MissSiannaMarie
Summary: Bella leaves Phoenix behind to start at Washington State University. How will she hold on completely out of her element? Canon pairings. All human.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first fanfic, so it's probably terrible, but go easy on me! This chapter's kind of boring, but I wanted to show what Bella's life in Phoenix is like, and it's pretty boring. I promise it'll be more exciting later on!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters (except Jen!) or twilight, smeyer does. But I get to play with them!**

**Chapter 1: The Big Move**

This was it. I was finally off to college and getting out of Phoenix. I'd lived here as long as I could remember with my mother, Rene, and my stepfather, Phil. My father, Charlie, lived in a rainy little town called Forks in Washington, but when my mom left when I was 2 she took me with her. I visited Charlie every summer until I was 10 for 2 weeks. I hated it there; even in mid-July it didn't get past 60. Since then, however, I hadn't left Phoenix. Actually, aside from my two homes, I hadn't been anywhere. I was desperate to see the world, but I knew that I couldn't leave Rene. Someone had to be the adult in the house. Even though she found Phil, he was so young, and had no idea how to run a house.

But, finally, I was leaving. I worked hard in high school to get a scholarship. Unfortunately, the only ones that gave me enough money were Arizona State and Washington State. I got full rides to both because in-state tuition is so much cheaper. Well, I knew I couldn't spend another minute in Arizona. It would kill me to leave Rene and Phil to fend for themselves, but I had to go back to Washington for the first time in 8 years. Of course, Charlie was ecstatic. Even though WSU was all the way on the other side of Washington, I would be closer to him than I had been since I was a child. I, on the other hand, was beginning to think that I was just a ping-pong ball, destined never to leave the only two places I knew.

I looked around my room one final time. It seemed so bare now that everything was packed away. All my pictures were gone, and I suddenly became very aware of the fact that I was leaving everything behind. I was so lost in my thoughts that I jumped as my cell phone buzzed in my pocket. It was my best friend, Jen. I fumbled with my pocket and opened my phone.

"Hey Jen," I said.

"Oh, Bella! I was just packing my stuff and I came across that picture of us from the 6th grade dance! Do you remember?" I could hear the tears welling up in her throat. It was all I could do not to break down. I would miss her so much.

"Of course, Jen, how could I forget? That was the year we both had braces and we were so afraid that none of the boys would dance with us."

"Bella, what am I going to do without you? I'm going to be at State all alone! I can't let you leave me!" she was sobbing now, and my eyes welled up.

"You won't be alone, Jen" I sniffed. "Half of our class will be as ASU with you. And you're rooming with Alix. Trust me, you'll be fine."

"You're right, like always. But I'm just going to miss you so much!" she replied.

"I know, I'm going to be a wreck without my bestie. But Jen, I gotta get these last boxes in my car. When are you coming over? I don't want to be up too late, if we want to make good time we're going to have to get up early."

"Well, I promised my mom I'd have dinner with her before I go, so I'll come over around eight?"

"Sounds great. I'll see you soon. Love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

I have to admit, I was a little bit shocked that Jen was getting so emotional now. Tomorrow we're going to take a road trip up to Washington so I could have my car and get my stuff up without having to ship it. But I guess it is just like her to overreact a week before I have to say goodbye until Christmas. I suddenly felt tears streaming down my face. Even though I was excited to see a (somewhat) new place, I was really going to miss Phoenix. There were so many things I loved here: I loved my house and my grassless yard full of cacti; I loved my mom and Phil and having to cook for them every night; and I loved my friends, especially Jen. I wiped my tear-stained cheeks, and grabbed the last two boxes on my floor. I hoisted them into my arms and carried them out to my car, my beautiful red 1953 Chevy truck. I took bungee cords and secured everything in the bed down before running inside to hop in the shower before Rene got home; I couldn't let her see me puffy-eyed, it would just be too much for her.

I let my hair down and turned the shower on. As I stepped in, the hot water relaxed me and I began to feel good about my decision again. I thought about my years in Phoenix. I was always a slender girl, but never incredibly attractive. I had a few good friends, but was never popular. And no matter how long I stayed out in the sun, I was always pale. Most of the girls here were tan, blonde, and athletic. I was ghostly white, had dark brown hair, and could trip walking barefoot on a flat surface. I just seemed not to fit in here. Maybe at Washington State, I would feel more in place. Surely in such cloudy, rainy place, my paleness wouldn't be a problem. And surely with a population of 17,000 students, I would find at least a couple friends. Plus, I would be close to Charlie, and I did miss him, a lot.

I turned off the shower and toweled off. I dried my hair straight and walked over to my room. I pulled out pretty much the only clothes I had left: a simple white t-shirt and jeans. Just as I was walking out of my room, I heard Rene and Phil walk through the door.

"Bella, honey, I'm starving. What's for dinner?" my mom called up the stairs.

"Um, I was thinking of enchiladas. Does that sound okay?" I said as I walked down.

"Mmm. I've been craving Mexican all day."

I chuckled as a made my way to the kitchen. My mother was still such a kid sometimes. But I really did enjoy cooking for her. I chopped up some cheese, chicken, and jalapenos, and rolled them into tortillas, covering them with red sauce and more cheese. Then I popped them into the oven. I melted some cheese on a plate of chips and brought the nachos out to Rene to tide her over until dinner was ready. Then I started on the Mexican rice. We ate dinner; or rather Phil ate dinner, because I could barely get two bites in as Rene tried to convince me for the last time to stay. Before she could start on Round 2, I heard Jen walk through the door. She squeezed me so tight I could hardly breathe and Rene ran to her and lifted her up in a big hug. "At least _you're _not leaving me Jenny. Tell me you'll come visit."

"Obviously, Rene." Jen giggled. "And you better come see my dorm room and party with Alix and me!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I was coming back, after all. It's not like I was shipping off to Iraq, or like I would suddenly fall in love with Washington. After having Rene and Jen gang up on me, Phil came in and saved me.

"Girls," he said, "I know you want to keep Bella, but if you're going to be driving at the crack of dawn, you need some rest."

"You're right, Phil." I threw him a grateful glance, "Come on Jen, let's get up to bed."

**So that's it for now, but Chapter 2: Road Trip! should be up soon. Some constructive criticism would be nice!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I got excited and finished chapter 2. Let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: twilight and all the characters (except Jen!) are smeyer's. **

**Chapter 2 Road Trip!**

I was standing in the middle of the quad, stark naked. I wanted to run and hide, but my feet were glued to the spot. I couldn't even muster a scream. Everyone was looking at me, laughing. 17,000 pairs of eyes, staring. I tried to scream, but when I opened my mouth, a loud buzzing noise came out.

I shot up out of bed, realizing it was just a dream. I had to laugh a little; I was letting my nerves get the best of me. I shook Jen awake. "Get up sleepy, we've got 3 long days ahead of us!" She rolled over.

"Mmm, five more minutes."

"You're not getting up for school and I'm not your mother. We're going on a road trip!" I shouted in her ear.

"Oh my God!" She jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. "Do I have enough time to shower?" I laughed out loud as she frantically ran around my house.

"Take your time, Jen" I giggled. "We've got plenty of time to get ready. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Eggs and toast!" She shouted down to me as I heard the shower running. I lazily opened the fridge and grabbed the eggs and milk. Right as I finished fixing up breakfast, Jen skipped into the kitchen looking eager to eat. I slid the plate in front of her and she immediately began devouring it. As soon as I finished eating, it was my turn to get ready. I was eager to get on the road, so I tried to run up the stairs, only to fall and get carpet burn on my elbow. I heard Jen laughing her head off in the kitchen when she heard me fall. I changed into some cutoff sweats and a tank top; I wanted to be comfortable since we were going to be driving for hours. I grabbed my toiletries bag and went into the bathroom. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I threw my hair into a messy bun and made my way back downstairs.

Rene was already awake and sitting on the couch, which was shocking because it wasn't even 6 AM yet. She jumped up when I came down the stairs and picked me up into a bone-crushing hug.

"Baby, I'm going to miss you so much! I can't believe you're leaving today!" I could already feel the tears welling up in my eyes. As I opened my mouth to speak, they spilled over.

"I know, Mom, I'm going to miss you too. But I'll be back in a few months. And I promise I'll call you every day." I managed to sob out. Phil had come downstairs to see me off, too.

"Have fun, kid. Don't forget to call us every day, or else your mom might go insane. I'm gonna miss you a lot," he said.

"I'll miss you too, Phil. Take care of my mom for me." We all walked out to the car. The sun was just peeking over the horizon; we were perfectly on schedule. I gave Phil a quick hug before turning to my mom. "I miss you already, mom. As soon as we stop in LA, I'll give you a call. I love you."

"I love you too, Bella. I don't know what I'm going to do without you. When you get to Forks, give my best to Charlie. He'll be so happy to see you." She hugged me and kissed me, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Jen, take care of my Bella for the next couple days; and let me know the second you get back into town."

"I will," Jen replied, "and I'll see you two in a couple days!" She hugged Rene and Phil and hopped into the passenger's seat. I took one last look around at my home before climbing into the driver's seat, tears blurring my vision. I blinked a couple times and wiped my eyes before starting the engine. As I pulled out of the driveway, Rene and Phil waved goodbye. I was finally on my way.

"How are you doing, Bella?" Jen finally said after about 10 minutes of silence.

"I'm okay, it's just weird that I'm actually leaving Arizona, you know?" I told her.

Jen popped in a CD; it was PANIC! At The Disco. It definitely cheered me up, and Jen and I screamed along to the words as I drove us through the Arizona desert. We listened to music, chatted, and Jen took thousands of pictures, before we hit the California border. We stopped at the State line for a bathroom break, and of course to straddle the line and be in two places at once!

When we got back in the car, loaded down with snacks, Jen got behind the wheel; it was her turn to drive. I looked around, I was in California for the first time in my life. Honestly, California desert looked just like Arizona desert, but I snapped a few pictures anyway, and then turned the camera on Jen and took some shots of her driving. Finally, we made it out of the desert, and I suddenly knew why everyone loved Southern California. It was beautiful; the streets were lined with palm trees, and I rolled my window down to find a cool breeze blowing through. And then I saw it. It was the LA skyline, and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I went shutter-crazy and took as many pictures as I could. We pulled off the freeway, and drove straight into downtown. I picked up my phone and called Rene.

"Hey Mom, we just got to LA. It's gorgeous!" I squealed into the phone.

"Oh good honey, I'm glad you made it there. Have you eaten yet?" Rene, for the first time, seemed concerned that I couldn't take care of myself. She sounded really mom-like for the first time since I was about 7. It was very strange.

"Um, we had a bunch of crap in the car, but that's about it. We're going to get some lunch right now though."

"Okay, Bella. I just wanted to make sure you're okay. I won't keep you, but call me the next time you stop, all right?"

"Of course, Mom. I love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

As soon as I hung up the phone, Jen was tugging at my arm, "Bella, hurry up! I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"

"How is that possible, Jen, you just had a whole bag of Doritos in the car!" I laughed as she stuck her tongue out at me and pulled me into a little restaurant.

Before I knew it, Los Angeles was in my rear-view mirror. We could have stayed the night there, but I was eager to get up to Forks to see Charlie. We ended up stopping for the night in San Luis Obispo.

The rest of the trip passed in a blur, and I couldn't believe 2 days had gone by already. We had driven all the way through California and Oregon, and now we were almost to Forks. I checked the time; we had about an hour until we got to Charlie's house, and it was 4:00. By 5:00 he should be home, so I wasn't going to bother calling; I would just surprise him on his doorstep. Charlie was the Chief of Police in Forks, so even if he wasn't home, I would know where to find him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Twilight and everything that go with it are Stephenie Meyer's.**

**Chapter 3: A Familiar Face**

We pulled up to Charlie's house just after 5:00. I saw his cruiser in the driveway and my stomach did a little backflip. I hadn't seen my father in years, and I couldn't wait. I leaped out of my truck and ran to the door. I knocked twice as Jen lugged the suitcases up the walkway. Charlie opened the door and looked shocked. He pulled me into a tight hug and I suddenly wasn't so homesick anymore.

"Jeez, Bells, you're all grown up," he said to me.

"Hi Dad! I've missed you so much!" I sniffed, and smelled something burning. "Dad, what's burning?"

"Oh no! I forgot about the pasta! I wanted to surprise you with dinner." Charlie rushed into the kitchen and I was right on his heels.

"How on earth did you burn pasta?" I looked into the pot, "You need more water in the pot; it should be completely submerged." I grabbed the pot off the stove and threw away the burnt noodles. Then I filled the pot with water and threw some fresh spaghetti in. Charlie looked embarrassed. "Don't worry about it; I cook every day at home. I like cooking." As I stirred the pasta, I heard someone clear their throat. "Oh Jen I'm sorry! I got so caught up! Dad, this is my best friend Jen. Jen this is my dad, Charlie."

"Nice to meet you Charlie!" Jen giggled and pulled my dad into a hug.

"Nice to meet you too, Jen. Bella talks about you all the time. It's so nice of you to bring my girl back up to me."

Charlie and Jen got a chance to know each other, and before I knew it, she was just as close to my dad as she was with Rene. I really couldn't ask for a better friend. I got sad thinking about leaving her in just a couple days. I scooped the pasta onto three plates and served dinner for us, joining my best friend and my father at the table.

"Bella, I didn't want you to have to cook. But this is delicious!" Charlie said, stuffing spaghetti into his mouth.

"Dad, it's really fine. I told you, I like to cook. How are you surviving by the way? You can't even make pasta!" Charlie laughed.

"I am the Chief of Police, Bella. The town of Forks takes care of me. And from time to time Billy Black comes over and fries up our catch for me. You remember the Blacks, right? Rachel just graduated and Rebecca is married now."

"Wow, I remember making mud pies with them." I smiled at the memory. "How's his son, Jacob right?"

"Jake's a great kid. He's a senior this year. I could call him up and you can see for yourself if you'd like."

"That would be great, Dad! I haven't seen Jacob in forever! You don't mind, do you, Jen?" I was getting so excited; I kept forgetting that Jen has never been in Forks before.

"No way Bella. I'd love to meet one of your old friends!" She sounded excited, and before I could blink, Charlie was on the phone.

"Jacob's on his way!" He shouted from the living room. I was really excited. I hated Forks, but I did have fun with the Blacks growing up. I went up to my old room. It looked pretty much the same as the last time I was there. Faded yellow walls, my blue comforter, and the lace curtains on the window. It felt homey, and I was happy to be there. I decided to take a quick shower, and I changed into some jeans and an olive green long sleeved shirt with my black ballet flats. As I walked down the stairs, I heard a husky voice.

"Hey Charlie, how have you been, man?"

"I'm great, Jake. Bella's upstairs freshening up. She should be down any minute. This is her best friend from Phoenix, Jen."

"Hi Jake!" I heard Jen say, and as I turned the corner, I saw Jen hugging a tall, dark haired, russet skinned boy. No, tall wasn't the right word. HUGE was more like it. This giant couldn't be the same Jake I played with on First Beach all those years ago. He was at least a foot and a half taller than me, probably closing in on 7 feet.

"Remember me Bells?" The deep voice chuckled and I realized I was staring. Oops. I blushed, my face turning tomato-red.

"Yeah, of course Jake," I stumbled over my feet as I walked up to him, only making me redder. "When did you get enormous?" Everyone laughed at my question, including me.

"Well, it's been 8 years, Bella. But I guess I shot up about 2 years ago." I smiled at him and jumped up into his arms. He smiled and spun me around in a circle. "It really has been too long Bella; It's nice to have you home."

"Oh Jake, I've missed you! I can't believe it's been so long! Promise me you'll come visit me at school." I felt so comfortable with Jake. It was like we picked up right where we left off. Being myself was incredibly natural. It was nice to see a smiling old face.

The four of us sat down on the couch and chatted about everything. Jen was great about the whole thing, especially because it was a lot of reminiscing. She seemed genuinely happy to hear about my childhood. We told Charlie and Jake about my life in Phoenix and all about the high school years. Charlie had heard most of my stories over the phone, but he was thrilled to be hearing them now in person. Jake wanted to know all about senior year; he couldn't wait to be done. Jen seemed to take a lot of interest in what Jake had to say. She told him all about our escapades, and how senior year goes by so fast. I smiled to myself when I saw the two of them move closer to each other on the couch. Hmm, maybe she would be coming up to Washington a little more often. I was happy to see my two best friends getting along so well. But, it was hard not to like Jake or Jen. They were such amazing people.

I glanced down at my phone and realized it was almost midnight. We still had an 8 hour drive ahead of us to get to WSU, and I wanted some sleep. "Dad, we've gotta get up early tomorrow, so I think we're going to hit the sack."

"All right, Bella," my dad replied, "I wish you could stay a couple of days here. It's been so nice having you in the house again." Usually, Charlie wasn't really vocal about his feelings. My parents had been acting so strange, I couldn't help but think that nothing would be the same after I got to school. I looked over, and Jake was putting Jen's number into his phone. I giggled and said,

"What, Jake, you don't want to talk to me?" I teased. The two of them turned beet red. "I'm just kidding! I love that you two are getting along." I smirked, "But Jen, we do have to get to bed. More driving in the morning!"

"Ughh. Fine." She gave Jake a hug and a kiss on the cheek, "Night, guys. Jake, give me a call soon!" And with that she skipped upstairs into my room.

Jake turned to me. "You really don't mind, do you, Bella? She's just such a cool girl, and I really want to get to know her."

"I don't mind at all. It's nice to see my life coming together like this. But seriously, can I call you when I'm at school? It would be nice to know someone else in this state." I was really hoping Jake would want to come visit me. I was still so afraid that I wouldn't make any friends at school.

"Oh yeah, my number's 360-766-0954" I entered it into my phone quickly. "I've got 2 weeks before school starts. Maybe I'll grab a couple friends and road trip it over to see you. I'm sure Quil and Embry would love to see some college girls!" He smiled.

"That would be great! But I can't promise I'll have many friends there in 2 weeks…" Jake just laughed.

"I'll see you soon, Bella. Call me when you're settled." He pulled me up into a tight hug. "It was so good to see you again. I'm glad you're back in my neck of the woods."

"Night Jake. Drive safely. I'll talk to you soon!"

I yawned as he walked out the door. I turned to Charlie to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Love you, Bells."

"Love you too, Dad. Night!"

"Goodnight."

**A/N: So I totally didn't plan on anything happening between Jen and Jake, but it just sort of turned out that way. Which sucks, because if I knew beforehand, then she would have been Nessie. Oh well. Bella is getting to WSU next chapter so the drama can start!!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry this took a little longer to update. I had a little writer's block and I had to get around it. **

**Thanks to moonlightsprite for favoriting my story!! It's my first one and I'm glad someone likes it!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine, but I've held the characters hostage and made them do this:  
**

**Chapter 4: New Roommates**

I held my breath as I looked at the apartment door. Jen grabbed my hand and gave me a reassuring squeeze. I knocked three times, not daring to breathe, until a small, pixie-like girl answered the door. She was shorter than me, probably about 4'11", with short, jet black hair that stuck out on all sides, and she was possibly the most beautiful person I had ever seen.

"Oh hi! Which one of you is Bella?" The girl asked. She seemed really sweet, and even more energetic than Jen.

I cleared my throat, "Um, I am. You must be Alice. This is my best friend, Jen. We took a road trip up here from Phoenix. It's really nice to meet you." I was so nervous, I was rambling. Alice and Jen giggled. I exhaled, feeling a little better that my new roommate wasn't uptight. Alice pulled me into a hug, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe. For such a small girl, she was incredibly strong.

"I'm so glad I'm finally meeting you! We're going to be great friends, I know already. Come on, you guys have to meet my best friend and your other roommate, Rosalie! Rose! Bella's here and she brought a friend!"

I had thought Alice was the most beautiful person in the world for almost two whole minutes before the tall, blonde goddess stepped around the corner. She was absolutely gorgeous, and instinctively I adjusted my outfit and ran my fingers through my hair. I had to look perfectly terrible in the midst of these two.

"Hi! It's so fantastic to meet you! I'm Rosalie Hale, but everyone calls me Rose." She gave me a kiss on the cheek, then Jen. She settled in on the couch and motioned for us to join her. "So why did you come all the way up to Washington from Arizona?"

"Well, my dad lives in this little town called Forks, so I got a scholarship for full in-state tuition. So here I am!"

"Wait. Bella, Bella Swan?" Rosalie looked like she was having an epiphany. "You're not Chief Swan's daughter are you?"

"Yes, I am," I replied, more than a little confused. "How do you know my dad?"

"We're from Forks!" Alice chimed in. "We all moved there right before high school. What a small world!"

"Huh," was all I could manage to say. I shook my head as if to clear my thoughts, "Weird. I never thought I'd see someone else from Forks out in the real world."

"Hmm, well we'll have to swap Forks horror stories later," Rosalie joked. "Where's all your stuff, Bella? We'll help you get unpacked."

"Oh, it's all out in my truck. It's the '53 Chevy on the curb." I was still in shock. How could these girls be so _nice_? I mean they were absolutely gorgeous, so naturally they should have been complete bitches. But they weren't. And they didn't seem to care that I was shy and average-looking. I definitely wasn't in Phoenix anymore.

"Come on, Bella! Let's help Alice and Rose get your stuff!" Jen called to me as she ran out the front door. As I walked to my car, Rosalie said,

"Bella how did this hunk of junk make it all the way up here? It's so old! We're going to have to work on getting you a new car, this is perfectly unacceptable!" She laughed, and Alice and Jen joined in.

"Don't say anything about her car, she gets sensitive," Jen managed to get out between giggles.

"I'll have you know my truck has never had any problems and I happen to like it, a lot." I huffed. Nobody picked on my baby like that. It just wasn't allowed.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Okay, Bella, but promise me you'll let me come pick out your new car when this one dies—in 2 weeks or so!" The girls snickered as they carried boxes back up to the apartment. I pulled my suitcases out and followed them up.

I had been, maybe 50 feet, behind the other girls. But they had already opened up all my boxes and were running around decorating. They even had some stuff out that I had never seen before. Our bedroom was painted a beautiful cerulean, and my blood red comforter was already on the bed. It was a perfect contrast. Half of my pictures were set up on my desk around my laptop, and the other half were strewn out on my bed, waiting to be hung. Alice started pulling my clothes out from one of the boxes. "Oh this just won't do, Bella. We need to get you some style. Looks like we'll have to go shopping before we go out tonight!" She squealed in delight.

I, on the other hand, groaned. Shopping really wasn't my thing at all. "Um, Alice, I don't want to be a party pooper, but I HATE shopping." Rosalie had a laughing fit.

"It's no good to deny her, Bella," she said. "Alice always gets what she wants. And what she wants is Barbie Bella."

Jen chimed in, "Come on, Bella, shopping is fun! And that way you guys can get to know each other better!" She dragged her suitcase out to the couch, where Alice followed and immediately began her inspection.

"Jen, we don't have to do too much work for you, but you don't have any party clothes! We'll have to fix that."

In a flash, my part of the room was finished. Alice walked into my closet and pulled out a deep blue cardigan, a lace camisole that I didn't even remember I had, and a denim skirt that I hardly ever wore. "This will have to do for now. Hmm, no heels? I guess put on these." She tossed my patent leather red flats on top of the pile. Before I could open my mouth, she was in Jen's suitcase. She pulled out a purple babydoll top, and some skinny jeans. "We really need to get both of you some shoes" she said before finding Jen's black flats. I was just kind of standing in the doorway, watching her do her thing, when she looked up at me and said, "What are you doing? Get dressed!" Rosalie was behind me putting on a knee length strapless yellow dress with black wedges. Alice pushed past me, putting on a green tunic that had to be designer with black skinny jeans. She then grabbed burgundy pumps.

"Um, Alice? Where are we going?" I asked, a little afraid of what the answer might be.

"We're going shopping of course!" Alice looked at me like I was crazy.

"Aren't we a little dressed up just to go to the mall?"

"Silly Bella," she said. "Come on, get in Rose's car. Shotgun!"

It took us about an hour to get to the mall in Spokane. It was called River Park Square, and it looked really upscale. I was nervous; there was no way I could afford anything in this mall.

"Guys, this might be a little out of my price range," I said, a little worried.

"Don't worry about it," Alice replied, "I'm taking you shopping. I'm buying you new clothes."

"I can't let you do that! This place is way too expensive." Was she crazy? People don't just buy designer clothes for someone they just met!

"Please, Bella! It would make me so happy! I really want to!"

"There's no getting around it I guess." I sighed in defeat.

Alice dragged me around the whole mall dressing me up in every outfit of every store. Rosalie and Jen seemed to escape her wrath. By the tenth store we walked into, I thought I was going to just die. Then, I heard the magic words, "Rose, we're almost done here." A smile spread across my face even though I tried to keep my excitement concealed. "Call the guys and see if they're close." I looked over at Rose, who was dialing someone. Jen had her phone out already, no doubt texting Jake. Then I realized what she said.

"Um, guys?" I asked, "Who are the guys?"

"Oh, it's our brothers and Rose's boyfriend." She explained. "They're meeting us for dinner up here and then we're all going to head back and hit up a party."

"Cool. Are they here yet? I'm starving." Honestly, I just wanted to be done here. I had about 10 bags of clothes already, and we still weren't done with this store, which seemed to be Alice's favorite. I could probably count on at least two more from here.

"Me too." Jen piped up, apparently acknowledging that there was a world outside her conversation with Jacob.

"Okay, love you too. Bye baby." Rose hung up her phone. "The guys said they're about 15 minutes away. They're going to meet us at P.F. Chang's."

_Oh good. Not much longer._ I thought to myself. _ I wonder if either of their brothers is cute. Or would it be weird to be interested in your roommate's brother? Hmm, I don't know how that works…_

"BELLA!" I was caught up in my thoughts. "Get in the dressing room! We don't have much time!" Alice apparently didn't like a time limit being put on her shopping trip. I grudgingly walked over to the dressing room to try on clothes, and just thought of the Chinese food that would be in my stomach soon. "Okay, I like all these outfits." Alice said as she looked me over. "Let's pay for it and head over to the restaurant." I shoved the clothes at Alice who ran over to the counter. With my 12 bags, Alice's 10, Rose's 6, and Jen's 2, I had no idea how we were going to fit into Rose's BMW. As we entered the parking lot, I was almost run over by a shiny, silver Volvo with three guys inside. I stepped out of the way in time, but I fell over the curb and cut my knee.

"Oh my God, Bella, are you okay?" Alice and Rose rushed over to me, along with the Volvo owner.

"I tried to tell you when you were buying me all those heels, Alice, I'm terribly clumsy. I trip with nothing but my own two feet." I looked at my knee. There was a little blood but nothing too bad.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't see you step off the curb. Are you all right?" I looked up at who was speaking to me, and two dazzling green eyes met mine. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. He had the most amazing bronze hair that was just mussed up enough. His jaw was chiseled, and he had the face of an angel. Even kneeling, I could tell that his body was perfectly toned. I realized I was staring at him, but I couldn't look away. I just had to memorize every feature of him.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry I took so long to update; I had a little bit of writer's block to overcome...and this was a really busy week. I love you all for reading my story, but some reviews might be nice too!**

**Special thanks to milady89 for favoriting my story! And everyone who has put my story on alert! This is all very exciting to me.**

**Chapter 5: Dinner Time  
**

"I, uh, I, um…I-I'm fine" I finally stuttered out. I was still completely enveloped in his face. Suddenly a roaring laugh came from the car and I pulled to look away. The hugest man I had ever seen stepped out of the Volvo, with scary-looking muscles and brown, curly hair. A tall, blond boy stepped out behind him.

"Rose, baby, I think your girl hit her head. Way to go, Eddie," the giant guffawed.

"Shut up, Emmett. And don't call me Eddie." The god turned back to me, "Are you sure you're okay? This is all my fault. Can you stand up?" At that point I had to giggle; I mean I really just banged my knee a little.

"Really, I'm fine. I just cut my knee a little bit. No big deal. I'm Bella, by the way." I flashed him a smile.

"Well, it's wonderful to meet you, Bella. I'm sorry it had to be like this though. I'm Edward, Alice's brother. That joker over there is Emmett," he gave me a goofy wave, "and this is Jasper, Rose's brother."

"And my boyfriend!" Alice danced over to him and kissed him on the cheek. I could tell they were unbelievably in love. It was really sweet.

"It's a pleasure," Jasper took my hand in his and shook it.

"It's nice to meet you all," I said, "And this is my best friend, Jen." She smiled and waved to everyone.

"So, you guys are like, all paired up?" Everyone laughed, but I turned bright red. How could she ask that to people we barely knew?

"Pretty much," Rose laughed. "I'm with Emmett here," she kissed him, and grabbed his ass. I could tell that they weren't secretive about their sex life. "And as you know, Alice and Jasper are together. Edward's single though." She shot a glance at me, and I turned redder, if that was possible. "But we're going to be late for our reservation. Edward, pop your trunk so we can get some of these bags in." I had forgotten that I was hungry, but now that she mentioned it, I was starving. I thankfully put half my bags in the trunk.

While the boys parked, we walked to Rose's car and put the rest of our bags away. Then we started walking over to P.F. Chang's. Jen kept throwing me glances and Rosalie and Alice were all giggles. Finally, I just asked, "What? Is there some big secret I should know about?"

"Edward loves you." Alice squealed.

"What?! I just met him. I've barely spoken to him. How do you know he loves me?"

"Oh be quiet, Bella, you love him too," Jen chimed in.

"No I don't! Again, we just met." What were they talking about? There was no way I could love him, at least maybe not yet. I mean, he was absolutely perfect, and he rushed to me like a knight in shining armor, but he was beautiful; I could never hope for him to even be interested in me, let alone _love_ me. We turned the corner to the restaurant and the guys were standing there, waiting for us. They seemed to be giving Edward a hard time, but he was just looking at me. Why was he looking at me that way? How was I looking back?

Alice was pealing with laughter, "Trust me, Bella. You guys just don't know it yet." Jen vigorously nodded in agreement.

"Shouldn't you be texting Jake or something?" I glared at her. She smiled and looked down at her phone.

We all walked in the restaurant together. Alice was holding hands with Jasper, and Emmett and Rosalie had their arms wrapped around each other; eliminating the space between them. Jen walked in behind them, but Edward seemed to be waiting for something. I reached for the door handle, but he stepped in front of me and held it open, "After you," he said, staring directly into my eyes. I had to look down so he couldn't see me blush.

"Thanks," was all I could think to say. We followed the group to our table, where conveniently, the last two seats were next to each other. They weren't even trying to be sneaky about it. Edward pulled my chair out for me. He really was the definition of a gentleman, and I liked that, a lot. Immediately everyone seemed to settle into their own conversations. Even Jen was still busy texting Jake under the table. That left Edward and I to talk. "So, tell me more about how all of you met each other."

"Well, like I said, Alice is my sister. We were both adopted by Carlisle and Esme after each of our parents died."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to tread onto a sore subject. You don't have to go on if you don't want to." I felt terrible for him. I couldn't imagine what I would do if either of my parents died, let alone both.

"No, it's fine, really. I've been a Cullen for so long now, I think of Carlisle and Esme as my parents. See, when I was about 4, my parents were on their way to the Chicago Opera and were hit by a drunk driver. They died on impact. But Carlisle worked at the hospital with my birth father, so he took me in and they raised me as their own." I could see that he really loved Carlisle and Esme, and that he was serious when he said he thought of them as his parents. I was happy, at least, that he could feel that.

"Now, the Hales, Rosalie and Jasper, are twins. And Rosalie fell for Emmett, so he became part of our group, too. We moved to Forks from Chicago the summer before high school. Esme grew up there when she was a girl and had always wanted to move back. So, of course, Carlisle would do anything for her, and we moved. Alice took to Forks High School right away. She became best friends with Rosalie and started dating Jasper pretty much as soon as we got there. I liked Forks, but I never really felt like it was where I belonged." I stared at him, completely wrapped in his words. I could listen to him talk all day. "I'm sorry, I'm talking too much."

"No!" I shouted too quickly. I blushed, and ducked my head. I willed my face back to its normal color and tried to catch myself, "I just mean that I'm really enjoying your story."

"If you're sure, I want to make sure that I'm not taking over the conversation," I nodded in encouragement. "So, yeah, I liked Forks, and I had my good friends there, but I loved Chicago and the big city. Anyway, Emmett was in one of Rosalie's classes sophomore year, and from the moment she saw him, she was smitten. We formed our group there, and eventually I learned to love Forks. We all decided that we were going to stay in Washington and go to college together. So here we are today."

"Wow, well, I know what you mean about going from big city to small town. I'm so used to Phoenix."

He smiled, "Maybe I'll help you get adjusted. Now I've talked enough about myself. Why did you come to Washington?"

At that moment, the food came. I smelled its delicious aroma as it was set down in front of us. I had forgotten again that I was hungry. It seemed like Edward just did that to me. I piled some chicken and shrimp on my plate along with some rice before answering his question. I noticed he seemed to not take his eyes off me the entire time he got his food.

"So, I actually was born in Forks," I started. He looked surprised, but didn't stop me, "and when I was 2 my parents got divorced. I left with my mom to Phoenix. I visited Charlie for 2 weeks in the summer every year after that until I was ten, when I decided I hated Forks, and never wanted to go back there. So I kept in touch with Charlie over the phone, but I hadn't seen him at all. He flew down and I saw him for the first time in 8 years at my high school graduation. Anyway, in high school, all I could think about was that I've never traveled, other than between Phoenix and Forks. So I decided I would try to get a scholarship so I could go away for school. Unfortunately, out-of-state tuition is really expensive, and so are private schools, so the scholarship money I did get offered me two choices: Arizona State, or Washington State.

"Well, Arizona's literally no more than fifteen minutes away from my house. It was tempting to stay. I knew Rene and her new husband, Phil, needed me. I usually cooked for them and pretty much was the adult most of the time. But, of course, I knew that I needed to get away. Rene wanted me to stay, I know, but she did encourage me to try out here. Needless to say, Charlie was thrilled. So I packed up my life, and Jen and I road tripped up here."

"There are always student loans to help out if you want to go somewhere else," he said slowly. However, as I looked in his eyes, it was like saying that to me was painful to him.

"Yeah I know. But if I can go to school without having to pay a cent and worry about repaying those student loans later, I'd be stupid not to take advantage of it," I looked at him, "and, I sort of hit the jackpot in the roommate department. There's no way I'm rocking the boat with that one." He and I both chuckled.

"Jen's not coming to school with us though?" he asked.

"No, she's going to Arizona State, but she starts later than we do, so she's spending the night tonight and I'm going to drive her back to the airport tomorrow. Plus, everyone in Phoenix would kill me if I tried to drive up here all by myself."

"They're right, you know. It's not safe for a girl to be travelling alone. It would be horrible if something happened to you." He touched my arm, and a jolt of electricity surged between us.

I tried to regain my composure, "Yeah, you never know, a crazy driver might try to kill me when I was crossing the road."

"I am truly sorry about that, Bella. You're right, I could have killed you." He hung his head, refusing to look at me.

"Edward, don't be ridiculous. We were in a parking lot; you weren't going fast enough to kill me. It was an accident; don't beat yourself up about it. I was just teasing you." I didn't mean to upset him. I wish he would just accept that it was an accident and let it go.

"Ahem." Suddenly, I was aware that there was someone in the world other than Edward. I looked up and met Emmett's glare, "Are you two ready to go? We're going to be late to the party. I want to get trashed tonight!"

"Em, I don't think there's enough liquor in the world to do that," I responded. He laughed, but the rest of the group looked a little shocked.

Jen looked up from her cell phone, "I see Bella has finally arrived!"

I blushed a little, "Yeah, I guess I'm just getting comfortable with you guys."

"Yay!" Alice squealed and ran over to me to sweep me into another bone-crushing hug. I was going to have to ask Edward how she did that. "Well, we have to hurry. We still have to go home and get ready! Bella, I can't wait to get you into your new clothes!" I sighed. Bella Barbie seemed to be an inevitable part of my future. The boys walked us back to our car, where Alice squeezed Jasper and gave him a quick peck, "I'll miss you Jazzy, I love you!"

"Love you too, Ali. I'll see you soon." Jasper replied to her.

Rose and Emmett were having a full make out session on the hood of the car. "Love you baby," Emmett said as he smacked Rose's ass.

"Love you too," Rose bit his bottom lip before pulling away to the driver's side of the car.

Jen had already jumped into the backseat, which left Edward and I alone again. "Well, I guess I'll see you in a couple hours, then," I said to him, nervously running my fingers through my hair.

Edward opened the door for me, "Yeah, I'll see you soon. Have a safe ride home."

"Thanks." I slid into the car as Edward shut the door behind me. Jen immediately perked up, looking at me with a huge grin on her face.

"So, Bella! You and Edward are like, so perfect together!" she gushed.

"What do you mean?" I responded, trying not to smile.

"Oh wake up, Bella! The way he looks at you is so obvious! Whenever you speak, he looks at you like you're saying the most important thing in the world. And you're the same way with him. You guys were in your own conversation all of dinner; it was like no one else was around."

The other girls got into the car. "She's right," Alice said, "I've never seen my brother look at anyone like that before. I gave him your number. He'll probably be texting you—"

Beep Beep Beep. My message alert went off. It was a number I didn't recognize, but I had a feeling that I knew who it was:

_Hey Bella, it's Edward. Alice gave me your number, I hope that's okay. Well, anyway I'll see you soon. E._

I felt a smile spread across my face. Edward was texting me! I heard all the girls giggle, but I just read the message over again. He was so considerate all the time. Could I really be falling for Edward already though?

"So what did you guys talk about?" Alice wanted to know.

"Oh nothing really, just getting-to-know-you kind of stuff," I answered, "He told me how you all met and I told him why I came to Washington."

"Well, we're going to make you look hot for tonight. Eddie won't know what to do with himself." Rosalie said, and we all burst into laughter.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm so sorry it took me so long to update!! It was my birthday, then I had tons of work for my classes, then fanfiction wouldn't let me login for like, 3 days! So here's an extra-long chapter as an apology. All the girls' dresses are on my page. It took me forever to find the right ones!**

**Special thanks to Becca-Cullen-Hale and HorseyGal23 for favoriting my story!**

**Some reviews would be lovely!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Twilight characters.  
**

**Chapter 6: Party Time**

I thought that trying on clothes would be done with now that shopping was over, but I was wrong. I had tried on five dresses already, and Alice and Rose weren't satisfied with any of them. I was putting on my sixth dress, praying that they would approve. It was dark blue, and hit just at my mid-thigh. It was a v-neck with 3 different shades of blue that twisted and turned into the straps. Looking down at it, I liked it a lot. I walked out of the bathroom to show them. Alice squealed, "It's perfect! Okay, put these on." She handed me silver strappy high heels that looked like a death trap.

"Alice, how am I supposed to wear these? I'll break my neck!"

Just then Jen stepped out of the shower, "Bella, you look great! This is what Alice picked out for me." She showed me a red dress with gold print. It was about the same length as mine, with a sweetheart neckline and a pleated skirt. It was really cute, and very Jen. With it, she had gold, strappy heels.

Alice walked out of her closet and put on a v-neck animal print dress with a crisscross back. Her spiky hair looked perfect with the wild dress she had on. Then, she slid on some sky-high black heels. Rosalie was wearing a skin-tight black dress with double straps and a gold geometric print down the front. She also had gold heels on. "Bella, come into the bathroom!" Alice said. She plopped me down on a chair in front of the mirror. While Rosalie curled my hair, Alice did my makeup. When they finished, I looked at myself in the mirror. I had to say that they did a good job. My hair was piled in soft curls on top of my head, and all that Alice put on me was a little bit of mascara and some red lipstick. I exhaled, happy to finally be leaving. We all hopped into Rose's car; I was happy that the party was only ten minutes away because I was tired of being in a car all day. I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I was anxious to see Edward, too.

We stepped out of the car in front of a little apartment building that was being flooded with people. Jen grabbed my hand and followed Rose and Alice through the door. She had a strange smile on her face, and I couldn't quite understand what it was about. "Come on, Bella! Let's go find Edward!" she yelled over the music. We walked over to the keg in the kitchen, filling up our cups before taking a lap around the party. I searched for Edward, but couldn't find him anywhere. I even kept my eye out for Emmett or Jasper, but they were nowhere to be found. Rose and Alice seemed to have disappeared as well. My first college party and I had already lost all my new friends. All I could think was, thank God Jen's still with me. I sipped my beer, hoping for a little liquid courage to go introduce myself to my new schoolmates. Jen and I danced for a little bit, although dancing in these heels pretty much limited me to some side-to-side movements. As I scanned the room for what seemed like the thousandth time, a pair of light blue eyes and spiky blond hair obstructed my view.

"Hi! I'm Mike Newton," the blond said to me.

"Uh, hi. Bella Swan," I responded. I wasn't really interested in meeting other guys, but Mike seemed harmless enough.

"So, are you starting at State this week?" he asked me, anxious to know my answer.

"Yeah, I'll be a freshman. How about you?"

"It's my first year, too. I moved here from California. Do you know anyone here?" It seemed like he was bombarding me with questions. I knew he was just trying to get to know me, probably in hopes of getting somewhere else with me, but it wasn't like when Edward asked me questions. Mike was just, well, annoying.

"Yeah, I came with my roommates, and we're meeting some other friends here. Oh, and my friend Jen came up from Arizona with me." I motioned toward where Jen was standing, only to find that she wasn't standing there anymore. I looked around the room, before finally locating her by the door. She was standing next to a huge figure that I immediately recognized. "Uh, she's over there," I started, trying to get out of this conversation politely, "Excuse me for a minute." I ran over to her, pushing the crowd out of the way. "Jake!" I squealed, "How come you didn't tell me you were coming today?" I punched his shoulder lightly, feigning anger.

"I had assumed that Jen would have told you. Sorry, Bells." Jake laughed as he patted his shoulder.

"Bella, I said Jake was coming at dinner. But I guess you were a little preoccupied." Jen winked at me.

I turned a deep shade of red. Jake asked, "Oh, has that blond kid over there stolen your heart?" He roared with laughter and fluttered his eyelashes.

"No, I just met him. He's just some annoying kid from California. Jen have you seen Alice or Rose? Or Edward?"

"No sorry, I haven't seen _Edward_ anywhere." She smiled at Jake like it was some sort of inside joke. They both burst out laughing. I just rolled my eyes and walked back into the kitchen to get another beer. I was getting tired of everyone teasing me about Edward. I couldn't understand why it was such a big deal. I mean, he was just a nice guy. He was absolutely gorgeous and way out of my league but he was genuinely nice and caring. What was the big deal about us being friends? After all, we were only friends. I mean, there was no way that this absolute god would ever have more than platonic feelings toward me. I found myself daydreaming about Edward: his perfect body, the smooth curve of his lips, and the way everything he said just seemed so important. I was starting to get upset; what if Edward was standing me up? Without noticing, I had managed to drink a whole beer. Since I was still in the kitchen, I refilled. I'm not usually a big drinker; I mean I've been to my fair share of parties, but I was never all that interested in getting drunk.

Tonight, though, that was changing. I really didn't want to call Edward to see where he was; after all, it's not like we were together. I looked down at my phone. He wasn't calling either. Just then, I heard Alice's voice, "Bella! I need a beer pong partner! We're going to kick Mike Newton's and Eric Yorkie's asses!" I wondered for a minute where she had been all night, but I didn't worry about it too much. With that, I walked over to the table. Apparently, beginner's luck wasn't with me. I only sank one cup, and Alice only made three. We had to drink the whole table, and by then, I was feeling really drunk. I thought that it was hard to walk in heels sober; turns out it's impossible to walk in heels drunk. Mike was trying to talk to me again, but I tried to ignore him. Instead, I talked to a girl I had met named Angela. She seemed really sweet and lived near me. She was a quiet girl, from another small town in Washington, but I couldn't remember the name of it. She was living in an on-campus apartment, too, not far from me. I gave her my number so that we could meet up sometime once classes had started.

I had found Alice again, and we walked over to the kitchen. I was done drinking for the night, but apparently she wasn't. Rosalie appeared with a beer bong, and filled it for her. She downed the whole thing with ease, and I had to say that I was impressed. She then grabbed both our hands and walked back out to the living room and cleared a space on the dance floor for us. I had long since ditched my shoes on a chair somewhere, so I was much more uninhibited. I caught Jen and Jake making out on an easy chair in a corner of the room. I smiled, happy for the two of them. It made me a little upset, though. I still hadn't heard from Edward, and none of the girls had mentioned any of the guys. Just as I started to get upset, I heard a loud Boom! as the front door swung open. I saw a clearly inebriated Emmett stumble in through the door with Jasper on his side. "The party can finally start!" Emmett yelled. Everyone laughed and cheered, and kept having a good time. Everyone that is, except for me. Jasper grabbed Alice around the waist and gave her a passionate kiss. Emmett and Rose were dancing, kissing, and grabbing each other. I really didn't want to be at this party anymore. It seemed that everyone was happily paired up, and Edward couldn't even stand me enough to show up. I made my way over to the bathroom, where Mike was walking out, being held up by Eric and another boy, whose name I thought was Tyler, but I wasn't sure.

"Bella!" he slurred out, "I was hoping to catch you before we left. We should go out sometime."

"Um, actually, Mike—" I tried to get a rejection out, but to no avail.

"Great! I'll see you on Friday. Call me!" and he blew me a kiss. Great, now I'll have to deal with this.

"So, I guess you're all booked up for this weekend," a voice that was smooth as velvet whispered into my ear. I knew that voice. But what could he be doing here? I figured he hated me. I turned to face him, wobbling over even in my bare feet. Of course, he caught me before I could fall. I looked at him, and of course, he was absolutely amazing. He was wearing a black long-sleeved button down shirt, some loose-fitting jeans, and charcoal converse shoes.

"Hi, Edward," I said, trying to sound nonchalant, "Actually, Mike is mistaken. I think he misunderstood politeness for interest. I'm surprised to see you here, though. I'd thought you were a no-show."

"I told you I would see you tonight." He looked hurt that I thought he went back on his word.

"I thought you were just being polite. So what took you guys so long? We've been here for like, 2 hours."

"Emmett decided he didn't want to fight over the keg, so he and Jasper drank back in our apartment. It reeks of Johnny Walker in there," Edward coolly explained.

"Oh, so you don't drink?" I asked.

"No, I do, but I got roped into being designated driver tonight." He looked me up and down quickly, "You look absolutely stunning by the way, but where are your shoes?"

I flushed, embarrassed for the first time about being drunk, "Beer pong and Alice's idea of a shoe don't really mix. I threw them on a chair somewhere." He chuckled.

"Do beer pong and breakfast mix?" he asked me.

"Definitely," I smiled back at him.

"Well, there's a great 24-hour diner around here. Would you like to join me for a late meal?"

"How are the guys going to get back?" I was worried they would be stranded at this party.

"If you don't want to, it's all right. I understand," he replied. Oh no! He misunderstood me completely.

"No! It's not that I don't want to, I was just worried that they would be stuck here," he looked at me questioningly, "I promise."

"Hold on, just a second," he answered. I watched him walk over to Rosalie, and then to Jen and Jake, whispering something into their ears. He came back over to me, "Rose wasn't drinking, and neither was your friend, Jake. They'll take everyone home who needs a ride."

"Awesome. Well, whenever you're ready, we can head out of here. I just need to find my shoes." My shoes were still on the chair I left them on. We said quick goodbyes to everyone, and I reminded Jen we needed to leave by 1 tomorrow so she could catch her flight.

"Bella, I'm expecting full details tomorrow," Alice whispered in my ear, and gave me a bright smile. She picked me up in a hug, and I almost fell over when she put me back on the ground. Edward chuckled at the sight of his tiny sister tossing me around.

As we walked out the door, I asked him, "How does she do that?"

Edward laughed, "Nobody knows. I think all that energy gives her super-strength." We laughed about how crazy Alice is until we reached his car, where he rushed to open my door for me. He slid into the driver's seat, and looked at me. "Shall we?" he asked, a smile on his face.

"Lead the way," I smiled back. He handed me a CD case and told me to pick out something to listen to. I looked through his impressive music collection, until I stopped on My Chemical Romance. I hadn't heard _Welcome to the Black Parade_ in a while, and it sounded perfect. I slipped it into the player, and we were off. We barely finished the first track before pulling into the parking lot of the diner. It really was right around the corner. He jumped out and opened my car door, and then the front door of the diner. Always the gentleman, I thought to myself.

"Two, please," Edward gave a sweet smile to the waitress, who led us to a booth in the back of the restaurant.

"Can I get you guys anything to drink?" she asked.

Edward motioned for me to go first. "I'll have water and a coffee, please."

"Make that two," he answered. With that, she left us to peruse our menus. "What looks good, Bella?"

"Hmm, I don't know. I can't decide: pancakes or French toast…what do you think?"

"Well, I'm a French toast man, myself. No matter how old I get, I'll always love powdered sugar," he sounded so cute. I couldn't help but giggle.

"Well, then. It's settled. French toast it is." I loved how we were talking about it like it was a major decision. I felt so uninhibited with Edward, which was really odd for me. I almost always had a guard up with people, except people I've known my whole life, like Jen. When I was around Edward, though, I was just myself. I allowed myself to be a little goofy and I knew with him, I didn't have to be the grown up. It was weird; I wasn't used to feeling comfortable around people in general, but especially around guys. I usually got all mixed up on my words, and could only hold slow, awkward conversations. But with Edward, it was like I knew he wouldn't think I was weird or dumb. I looked up from the menu, and my eyes met his gorgeous emeralds. "So what are you having?"

"I think I'm going to go with the ABC omelet," he said, without ever taking his eyes off me to look at the menu.

"Mmm, I love avocado. I could eat it anytime," I chuckled a little bit, "I think I'm just a little hungry."

The waitress brought us our drinks. "Are you ready to order?"

I knew Edward wanted me to order first, "I'll have the French toast combo, with scrambled eggs and bacon."

"And I'll have the ABC omelet," Edward said as he handed her our menus. "So I know that you're an only child from Phoenix, who loves to cook and eat avocado. But there must be so much more to Bella Swan." I turned a deep shade of red. I knew that he wanted to talk about me more. And although I couldn't understand why, I hated talking about myself. "Oh, and I forgot to mention, that you are utterly adorable when you blush." If possible, I turned redder. Trying to get my face back to its original color I added,

"You also forgot that I trip over my own two feet on a regular basis." Oh no, that backfired. I just blushed again.

"I'm serious. I love it when you blush. It is stunning."

"That's me, my saving grace an involuntary reaction," I said as I looked down, again realizing that the Adonis sitting across from me was so far out of my league.

"I never said it was your saving grace, at all. It's just one of your many attractive qualities," Edward responded to me, looking very serious, "I don't think you see yourself very clearly, Bella." He gazed deep into my eyes and grabbed my hand from across the table. I felt electricity pulsing through my veins. It wasn't like I had never held hands with a boy before, but it never felt like _this._ This was unlike anything I had ever known. "You really have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?" I opened my mouth, but no response came. All I could do was stare back into his eyes. A thousand thoughts were running through my mind. How could it be that Edward Cullen was saying these things to me? He was perfect in every way, and I was perfectly average. Could there be any way that he felt this way about me? I wanted so badly to tell him that I thought he was amazing and perfect and how I was already falling for him, but I couldn't do that. Not yet, at least. I was starting to think that maybe there was some way that Edward reciprocated a few of the feelings I felt for him, even if it was seemingly impossible. His eyes were so honest; I had to believe what he was telling me.

"Wow," I managed to get out.

"I'm sorry, Bella. That was inappropriate of me," he tried to pull his hand away, but I was reluctant to let go. I just wanted to pour my heart out to him, but I knew I couldn't do that. Not here, not now. Uninhibited or not, I wasn't prepared to handle that kind of rejection.

"No, it wasn't Edward. I think you worry too much about what is right and what is wrong, and not about what you want." I gave his hand a squeeze. He looked down at our interlaced hands, and pulled mine up to his face. He gently pressed his lips to my knuckles. I thought I was going to faint right then and there.

Not letting go of my hand, he took a sip of his coffee. We sat in silence for a few minutes, fingers laced, getting lost in each others' eyes. Time seemed to stop, and no one was in the world but Edward and me. We didn't have to say anything; it was a nice, comfortable silence. I had never been able to sit with someone else without talking before. It always made me feel awkward. With Edward, though, it seemed everything was different.

All of a sudden, I heard a plate clink on the table in front of me. The waitress set our food down. "Let me know if you need anything," she said as she walked away. At this point, I needed both my hands to eat, and it pained me to let Edward's hand go. I ate slowly, not wanting to make a mess of the dress Alice had put me in.

"How's the French toast?" Edward asked me.

"Tasty," I replied, "definitely a good choice. How's that omelet treating you?"

"It's delicious," he said, taking another bite.

We chatted about life, our expectations for freshman year, who of our new classmates seemed nice, who was already annoying. Nothing serious, but it was amazing just to hear him speak. Finally, it was time to go. I checked my phone for the time, but I had two texts: one from Alice and one from Jen. Alice's said:

_Hope you're having fun! Remember, I want ALL the details!_

Jen's text was a little more urgent:

_Where are you?? If you recall, I'm leaving tomorrow!_

I texted Jen back quickly:

_Calm down, I'm on my way back now. I'll see you soon._

I shut my phone and put it back in my clutch. Just then, Edward handed me a quarter and motioned toward a gumball machine. I smiled; this reminded me of begging my mom for quarters when I was little to get some gum. I put my quarter in, "I hope I get blue!" I said. A little blue gumball rolled down to me. I lit up like a kid on Christmas, as I greedily grabbed it. "It's my lucky day!"

Edward stepped over and dropped his quarter in the machine. He got a red gumball. "My favorite," he said, "It must be my lucky day, too." He looked back at me, and then opened the door, "Ready to go home?"

"Not really, but I think if I make Jen wait any longer she might kill me," I answered him.

"Well, we don't want that happening. After you," he said.

On the ride home, I asked Edward some questions to get to know him a little better.

"What's your favorite meal of the day?"

"Definitely breakfast. I could eat breakfast food any time."

"Favorite band?"

"That's a hard one. Right now I'm listening to a lot of PANIC! At the Disco, but I love Muse, too."

"Cool, we have pretty similar taste in music. What's your favorite color?"

"Blue. I love that dress that you're wearing." I blushed, of course, "However I'm starting to grow fond of red," he added, smiling as my cheeks flamed. I continued to ask him questions, memorizing his answers, until he pulled up to my apartment.

"I had a really good time with you tonight, Bella," he turned to me, looking into my eyes. I swear, his shining emeralds just made me melt every time he turned them on me.

"Me too," was all I could come up with as he dazzled me with those eyes.

"When are you taking Jen to the airport?"

"We're leaving here at 1, but I'll probably be back here around 3."

"When you get back, would you like to join me on a picnic?" he asked me. I couldn't believe that he was asking me out on a date. It was like a dream come true.

"I'd love to. I'll call you when I get back tomorrow." He got out of the car, and walked me to my door, and held my hands in his.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Until then," he said, and leaned in toward me. He pressed his lips against my cheek. I was breathless. All too soon, he pulled back. "Bye, Bella."

"Bye, Edward." I reluctantly pulled my hands back and turned to the door. I looked over my shoulder as Edward walked back to the car. I felt light as air, as if I was in some sort of dream. If it is a dream, I thought, I never want to wake up.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Midterms suck. But now I'm home for spring break and i love it!! This means hours at the coffee shop with my laptop...which means a couple more updates for you!!  
**

**Special Thanks to nightgirl-shadow-bleach and hiddensun for favoriting my story, and to twilightlovr1995, for favoriting my story, me as an author, and giving an awesome review! You're the best ever!**

**Thanks for the wonderful reviews too! You guys put smiles on my face. Now I'm greedy…more more more!**

**This chapter is obscenely long as an apology for sucking at updating:  
**

**Chapter 7: Back to Reality  
**

I sighed, happy to be in this dream, as I pushed the front door open. All too soon, I snapped back into reality when a shrill noise pierced my ears. It was Alice, Rose, and Jen squealing and giggling.

"What?" I said, a little harsher than I intended.

"Bella, you and Edward are so cute!" Alice answered between laughs.

"Then why are you laughing at us?"

"No, we're not laughing at you. We're laughing because we're excited," Rose said, "We've never seen Edward so happy, and he barely met you today." I suddenly remembered that it was only a few short hours ago that I first saw Edward. It was strange, I felt like I had known him my whole life.

"And I've never seen you take to a guy like you've taken to Edward," Jen went on, "Bella, I'm so happy for you! It's about time you found someone to treat you right."

"Guys, don't you think you're getting a little ahead of yourselves. I mean I _did_ just meet him today. It's not like we're together or anything," I protested aloud, but silently agreed with them. Edward was perfect, and I was the luckiest girl in the world that he just looked at me the way he did.

"But you both want it to be more," Jen said, "It's so obvious."

"I don't think you understand how Edward is, Bella," Alice explained, "He's incredibly old-fashioned. He isn't one to rush anything. Believe it or not, but that kiss on the cheek was incredibly forward for him."

"You were _spying _on us?!"

"Oops," Alice's hand shot over her mouth, unsuccessfully stifling the giggles that spilled over. "Oh come on, don't be mad! We had to see how your date finished! It's not our fault we heard you coming up."

Something Alice had said stopped me in my tracks. She had said that Edward and I were on a date. "Was it a date?" I mused, not realizing I had spoken aloud.

"Of course it was a date, Bella, don't be stupid," Rosalie half-glared at me, but then turned her stare into a smile. "He's crazy about you already, and frankly, I'm happy he's not going to be a fifth wheel anymore. I want him to understand how Emmett and I and Alice and Jasper feel about each other. And I think you're the one to make him feel that way."

Just then, I noticed that the shower was running, "Um, is someone else here?" I asked.

This time it was Jen's turn to flush, "Yeah, Jake's staying here tonight," she said meekly. I gave her a questioning look, to which she replied, "No, not anything like that, Bella! Come on, you know me! He needed a place to stay tonight before he went back to La Push, and he wanted to see me off and give you a proper goodbye."

"Oh, right." I felt kind of dumb. I totally forgot that Jake lived on the other side of the state, and of course he wouldn't be driving back in the middle of the night. I heard the shower knobs turn off and moments later, Jake stepped out of the bathroom, his long wet hair clinging to his shoulders and a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Hey Bells, how was your date?" he gave me a warm smile.

"Um, it was good," I slowly answered, still unsure that I really had been on a date with Edward.

"Good, good," he said as he turned into the bedroom to get changed. Something about the way he said it made me feel like I was talking to Charlie. I could tell he wanted to be protective of me, but it seemed as if he didn't want to step out of place.

The girls and I settled into the couch, and Rose grabbed the remote. She put on some romantic comedy that I had never heard of. It wasn't great, but it made me think about Edward. Of course, I would have been thinking about Edward regardless because all of them grilled me about every aspect of our breakfast out. I went through a whole play-by-play of every mindless detail, but it seemed to make them happy. At some point, Jacob returned and snuggled in next to Jen.

"So, what was the last thing he said to you, before he gave you that kiss?!" Alice was bouncing up and down.

"You kissed him?" Jacob asked me.

"He kissed me on the cheek, that's all. Um, he asked me to go on a picnic with him tomorrow, and then he said goodnight."

"He asked you to go out again? What did you say?" Alice, Rose, and Jen asked in unison.

"I said I would call him when I got back from the airport."

"Oh, this is so great, Bella!" Alice squealed, "Edward really likes you!"

"Do you really think so?" I asked, getting caught up in all their excitement. What if Edward really did like me? I didn't know if I could handle that. Especially since I couldn't deny that I was having really strong feelings for him. I couldn't help but think, what if he thinks I'm a creeper, or overly obsessive? I'd have to be very careful to keep my emotions in check. The girls were chattering about something, but I couldn't really pay attention; I was too lost in my own thoughts.

A husky voice snapped me back into reality, "Bella, can I talk to you for a minute?" I looked up to see Jake standing over me.

"Yeah, sure, what's up Jake?" I said as I stood up to follow him back into the bedroom.

"Bells, I don't know how to say this without it being kind of awkward…" he trailed off.

"Just tell me, you're making me nervous!"

He let out a long sigh before continuing, "I'm just not sure if you should be getting so involved with someone you barely know already." I knew he was getting overprotective father on me! What a hypocrite though! Was he not just all over Jen, who he's known for a grand total of two days?

"That's funny that you're the one telling me this. How long have you known Jen?" I said, more hurt coming through my voice than I would have liked.

"You know that's different. You're like my sister and she's your best friend. I know I can trust her because you do. The only people that know this Edward are people that you also just met. Don't get me wrong, they all seem like great people, but I don't want to have to come down here and kick a bunch of asses because he broke your heart."

"You're just being crazy now, Jake. You're right, I just met him. I could fall for him, or it could turn out to be nothing. It's not like I'm planning our storybook wedding. He's just someone that I want to get to know better. I promise. If you have to do some ass-kicking to avenge my heart, it won't be for a long time," I pulled him to me and wrapped my arms around him, "I do appreciate you looking out for me, I just think everyone's getting way ahead of themselves with this whole thing. School hasn't even started yet and everyone's talking about serious relationships and all I'm really concerned about is that I stay afloat during my first year."

"Now who's the crazy one? I got all your updates from Charlie. You were always in the top of your class in Phoenix. You'll do fine. Plus, if it gets too hectic, you can always call me." He gave me a big, goofy grin as he said this. I was so glad that I had a good friend like Jake. He really just wanted me to be happy, and didn't want me to get hurt.

"All right, well we should probably round the troops up for sleep. I'm exhausted. This has been the longest day ever, and we have to get Jen to the airport and it's already 3:30." We walked back out to the living room, where the only change was that Jen had fallen asleep. I nudged her and helped her to the bathroom so she could change out of her dress and into pajamas. Then I led her back to the couch, where Rosalie had already set up a pillow and blanket for her. Jake had a bed set up on the floor that he was crawling into. I gave Jen a kiss on the cheek and she murmured "Love you too, Bella" before she turned over, fast asleep. I walked into the bathroom where I let my hair down, and washed the makeup off my face. I slowly made my way to my closet, where I found my favorite holy sweats and a t-shirt to wear to bed.

I climbed into bed and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep. Too bad that wouldn't last. I woke up 20 minutes later, my mind reeling with all the events of the day. I was finding it hard to believe that I had actually moved away, and was starting a new life in, of all places, Washington. I thought of my renewed friendship with Jake. It was like I had never left. I thought of all the new friends I had made: the Cullens, the Hales, Emmett, Angela, and all the people I had met at the party. I tossed and turned, hoping to fall back asleep. Finally, slumber reached me, though it was fitfully.

I woke up and walked into the living room to wake Jen up. Only, she wasn't there. Jake was missing, too. I darted back into the bedroom, but only found Rose and Alice in their beds. I checked the bathroom, but they were nowhere to be found. Suddenly, I heard voices yelling from outside. I ran out the front door to see Edward and Jacob fighting, but Jen was still gone. "What is going on?" I almost shrieked.

"This guy's no good for you, Bella. He's going to hurt you," Jake grunted as he lunged toward Edward.

"Stop! Stop it!" I yelled, but it was too late. They were fully fighting, and there was nothing I could do about it. I went back inside, frantic. I woke the girls up and told them what was happening. Rose just told me to let them figure it out on their own and went back to sleep. I told them Jen was missing, and Alice said,

"Oh yeah, she left already. She went back to Phoenix."

"But, I was going to take her to the airport. She didn't even say goodbye." I was almost in tears. How could she just leave?

"She said that you were starting a new life here, and didn't need her anymore," Alice explained.

"I wanted to say bye to her though. And it's not like I'm never going to see her again!" I was frantic. I had to call Jen. I had to stop Jacob and Edward's fight. The peace and happiness I had felt last night was replaced with uncertainty and fear. I grabbed my cell phone off of my desk, and turned to run outside, but I turned too quickly and fell over my feet…

I shot out of bed. It had all just been a dream. No, not a dream, a terrible, hideous nightmare. What if things were really changing forever? How would I be able to reconcile my life in Phoenix with the one here? So much was different already. Jacob didn't trust my new friends, at least not yet. Jen would be gone today, and who knows what will happen after we're parted for a semester. My head was pounding. The mixture of my renegade thoughts with the hangover I had made me ill. I stumbled to the bathroom and found some aspirin. I gulped it down with a large glass of water. Trying to be silent, I crept back into the bedroom and grabbed my cell phone and my laptop, a change of clothes, and a towel. I checked the time: it was 10 AM. I wouldn't wake Jen up for another hour and a half at least.

I set my laptop and cell phone down on the table before walking over to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth; my breath was stale and terrible. Afterward, I turned on the shower and stepped inside. I took a long shower, trying to wash away the worry that had been built up in my mind overnight. My attempt was futile, however. All the time in the shower, just let my mind wander more, and as my hangover began to subside, possibilities of how my life could change flooded my imagination. Finally, I angrily shut the water off, giving up. I stepped out and toweled off, quickly changing into my most comfortable jeans, and a simple, charcoal tank top. I towel-dried my hair, and threw it up into a bun, still wet. I slicked some moisturizer on my skin, deciding that would do for now. It was now 10:45. I quietly made my way back to my laptop, and sat down in a chair, turning it on. Deciding that Rene was probably already going insane without me, I checked my email. I had 5 new messages from her, each getting more frantic than the next. I laughed at my crazy mother and opened a reply to her:

_Hi Mom,_

_I know I said that email was a good way to get in touch with me, but that doesn't mean you can't call. Yesterday was the longest day ever. I was up for almost a full 24 hours! My roommates are really nice; they're actually from Forks which is weird. I'm living with Alice Cullen, who's a tiny little thing with enough energy for 10 people, and Rosalie Hale, who is the most gorgeous woman alive. They introduced me to their boyfriends and brothers, who seem to be really great guys. We went shopping in Spokane and then met the guys for dinner. Rose's brother is Jasper, who is also Alice's boyfriend. Rose's boyfriend is Emmett McCarty, who is the largest man you will ever meet, but he's really just a big kid. Alice has a brother named Edward, who is a really nice guy. We all went to a party last night, which was fun, and I got to meet a bunch of my new schoolmates. Afterward, Edward took me to go get some breakfast. _

_Jen seems to be enjoying herself up here too. It's too bad that she's leaving today. I might have to persuade her to come up to Forks for Thanksgiving. You remember the Black's right? Well Jacob came up to visit last night, too! He and Jen are really getting along ;-). _

_I miss you already. My first day of classes is tomorrow, so wish me luck!_

_Love,_

_Bella_

I thought I'd leave out the part where Edward and I are supposedly halfway down the aisle. I'm sure she'll have a thousand questions about our "date" anyway. When I finished writing the email, I messed around on the Internet a little more. I went to Facebook, thinking that since I was starting tomorrow I should probably have one, and set up an account. If nothing else, this will keep me linked to my friends at home. I found a few people that I graduated with and added them as friends. As I was picking my profile picture, I realized that I had lost track of time. It was about 11:20. I chose a picture that Jen took of me while I was driving up here and set it as my profile picture. I figured that the best way to wake the house up was with food, so I looked in the fridge to see what we had. I found some eggs, bacon, and cheese. Breakfast sandwiches it is, then. I pulled out two pans and cracked the eggs in one, while I fried the bacon in the other. When those were just about done, I started loading bread into the toaster. The aroma wafted through the house, and before I knew it, four groggy sets of eyes were intently looking at the pans. I loaded a sandwich and some fruit on each plate and handed them over.

"I could get used to waking up like this," Rose said with a wink.

I blushed, "I'm just used to doing the cooking at home."

"That's fine," Alice perked up, "we never cook, so it'll be nice to have someone who does around."

Everyone silenced as they tucked into their breakfasts. I was still pretty full from all that French toast earlier, so I stuck with some fruit.

"Did you guys sleep okay?" I directed my question toward the only two without beds.

"Mmhmm. I was pretty much dead, so I slept fine," Jen mumbled, still visibly tired. I put a pot of coffee on, knowing she would need it.

"Yeah, pretty much the same here," Jake said, his mouth full of food.

"Okay, well Jen hurry up and finish so you can shower. We have to leave in a little over an hour," I told her.

"Bella, you're _such_ a mom," Alice mused, her voice teasing.

"Yeah, well, as much as I'd love her to miss her flight and stay, Jen's mom would be pissed at me if we didn't make it." I poured out five cups of coffee, putting milk and sugar on the counter. I poured some milk in and stirred in a teaspoon of sugar, sipping on its delicious warmth. I took a seat at the table, joining Rose and Alice's conversation about their plans for the day.

"So, I want to check out the football field today, especially since we'll be seeing Emmett there this season," Rose said.

"Oh, I didn't know he played football, not that that doesn't make sense," I replied, thinking about the sheer size of Emmett. Of course he was a football player.

"Yeah, he's a left guard. You have no idea how sexy he looks in that uniform," she went on, clearly losing herself in a fantasy.

"You only want to check out their practice, Rose, don't lie," Alice gave Rosalie a knowing look.

"I told you, I love my man in uniform!" We all started laughing.

"So, Bella, where's this picnic you and Edward are having today?" Alice asked.

"I don't know, he didn't say. But don't come looking for us, I don't want you spying on me again!" I playfully scolded her.

"You're too paranoid," she giggled, "I was just curious!"

"Yeah, right."

"Okay, you caught me, no spying today," she and Rose exchanged disappointed looks.

"You guys are too much," I chuckled to myself.

I heard Jen walk into the bedroom and Jake take her place in the shower. I checked my phone; it was 12:30. "Jen, we have to leave in a half hour!" I shouted.

"Yeah, I know! I'll be ready!" she called back.

"I'm going to miss her so much," I thought aloud.

"You guys are really close, huh," Rose said.

I blushed, not realizing I said that out loud. "Yeah, we've been best friends since I can remember. I can't imagine not seeing her every day. It's going to be tough."

"You can still talk to her every day. And it won't be that long until you see her again. I'm sure it'll be like you guys were never apart," Alice soothed me, rubbing my back. I hadn't even realized my eyes were welling up with tears.

"I'm sorry, it's not like I'm unhappy here, at all. You guys are great. It's just such a big change, you know?"

"We understand," she said, still consoling me, "I don't know what I would do if the five of us were split up. Now, no more tears! You have to take Jen to the airport, and I know that's not what you're wearing. She dragged me into the bedroom, Rose on her heels.

"Alice, what's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I questioned, thinking I looked perfectly acceptable.

"Jen was finishing packing her suitcase, "I feel like this is going to be a regular thing for you, Bella," she smiled. Alice pulled clothes out of my closet. Thankfully, she let me keep my jeans on. I had to drive an hour to Spokane and I wanted to be somewhat comfortable. She found a sleeveless peach ruffle top. At first, she pulled out brown pumps, but I protested.

"Alice, I have to drive. I can barely stand in those as it is. Do you really want to be responsible for our deaths?"

"Fine," she sighed, "Put these on." She handed me some tan jeweled sandals she deemed appropriate. "Now you can go out in public, and I won't make you change for your date later. Take your hair down, so I can see what to do with it." I let my hair down silently. I loved the way my hair was wavy after I put it in a bun. "Hmm, it's not bad as-is. I won't have to do much. Come on Rose." And just like that, we were in the bathroom. She lined my eyes with a soft brown, and used pale golds to shadow it. She then added some dark brown mascara. "Now, I'm using waterproof makeup because I know you're going to cry, but we'll probably have to touch you up when you get back." Rosalie was behind me, running product through my hair, teasing it a little. Alice applied a pink blush to the apples of my cheeks and a sheer lip gloss on my lips. I slipped into the sandals and checked the time. It was just about 1:00.

"Are you ready, Jen?" I called, not entirely sure where she was in the apartment. I heard the front door open.

"Yeah, Jake and I just put my stuff in your truck. Ready?"

"Yup, let's get going. I'll see you guys in a couple hours," I said to Alice, Rose, and Jacob.

"I'm coming with, Bells," Jake said.

"Oh, All right. Well come on, or we're going to be late!" I ushered him out the door.

"Bye, guys it was awesome meeting you!" Jen hugged Alice and Rose.

"Hopefully we'll see you again soon!" Rosalie said to her.

"Yeah, I hope so!" Jen responded as she turned out the door.

We all slid into the cab of my truck. It was a little cramped because Jake's so huge, but it wasn't too bad. It was quiet most of the way, with only my CDs playing in the background. Finally, we reached the airport, but it was too soon. I wasn't ready to have to say goodbye to Jen yet. I was glad that Jake was with me, because I wasn't sure if I would be in a state to drive home later. We pulled into the airport parking structure, and Jake hopped out to get Jen's bag from the bed of my truck. I opened my door and slowly got out. We walked silently to the ticket counter, where Jen got her ticket and then turned to us.

"Well, I guess this is it," she said, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

I tried to be strong, but it was useless. I broke down, crying, "Jen, I'm going to miss you so much! Call me the second you land!" I managed between sobs. She hugged me tightly, and I didn't want to let go. We were both crying now, clinging to one another.

"I promise. I'll call you as soon as I can. And I'll talk to you every day."

"Well, I'll see you at Christmas, if I don't see you before then."

"Okay." She turned to Jake, "Bye Jake," tears still in her eyes, "I'll talk to you soon." And with that, she gave him a sweet kiss. "Bye, Bella. I love you."

"I love you too, Jen. Have a safe flight." She turned away and headed through the security line, stopping to wave back at us one last time before disappearing through the archway.

Jacob turned to me, "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I will be. I miss her already, though."

"I know, it's rough. Come on, let's head back. Do you want me to drive?"

I nodded, not really able to say more. We got back in the car and Jake drove, trying to cheer me up along the way. He was even supportive of my date with Edward.

"So is _that _what you're wearing?" he asked, giving his best Alice impression.

I couldn't help but laugh, "Yes, and Alice picked it out. I have a feeling she might unleash her wrath on you if you insult it."

"I'm kidding, Bells. You look great. Edward's gonna love it."

"What's with the new attitude about Edward?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I saw the way Alice and Rosalie came to your side when you were upset this morning. I still don't trust him, but I trust their judgment. If they think Edward is good for you, then I have to believe them."

"Thanks Jake, it means a lot to me that you're more at ease about this. I mean, this is still really new, and might not turn out to be anything, but it's nice to have your support."

We chatted about nothing in particular on the way back, but he successfully kept my mind off the fact that Jen had left and I had to start a new life tomorrow. I was so much more at ease, and I didn't want to think about Jake leaving me, too. I knew I would be seeing him sooner though, so it wasn't as bad.

We finally pulled back up to the apartment. "Well, I should probably head back. I've got a long drive ahead of me, and I'm going to hit a lot of traffic."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I don't want you driving super-late anyway," I said, feeling the tears well up in my throat again.

"Come on, Bells, don't cry. I'm going to visit again soon. I promise."

"Okay. Will you call me to let me know you made it back to La Push safe?"

"Of course. Come on, let's get my bag out of your living room." We walked back up to the apartment. It hadn't really hit me yet that this was _my_ apartment. Jake grabbed his duffel bag from next to the couch.

"Heading back home, Jake?" Alice popped her head from the bedroom.

"Yeah, I want to make it back before it gets too late."

"Okay, well I'm sure we'll see you soon!" She skipped over to him and gave him a hug. "Rose, come say bye to Jacob!"

Rosalie came out and hugged Jake. "See you around."

"Bye girls. Thanks for having me last night!" Jake smiled as he headed toward the door. Suddenly, he turned to me and swept me up in his arms. "Remember what I told you. First sign of heartbreak and I'll be in the car on my way back," he whispered in my ear. And with that, he put me down and walked out the door.

"Hmm, you're makeup isn't as bad as I thought," Alice looked me over, "Jake isn't too fond of Edward, is he?"

"No, it's not that," I explained. "He actually thinks Edward is a great guy. He just doesn't know him, so he doesn't really trust him yet. He just wants to make sure I don't get hurt."

"Yeah, I can understand that," she answered. "Well anyway, call Edward! Find out when he's picking you up."

I pulled out my phone and found Edward in my contacts. Suddenly, I was incredibly nervous. I had never talked to him on the phone before. It rang twice before that magical voice said, "Hello?"

"Hi Edward. It's Bella," I said back.

"Hey Bella. Are you back from the airport?"

"Yeah I just got back. How's your day been?"

"Oh, it's been all right, nothing special. I went to the gym when I woke up, but now I'm just hanging out in the apartment. Did Jen make it onto her flight okay?"

"Yeah, she's on her way back to Phoenix right now."

"Are you okay?" He sensed the sadness in my voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just getting used to not having her around. She's been my best friend since I can remember."

"Do you still want to have a picnic today? I understand if you don't want to anymore."

"No, I still do. Really, I'm okay. When did you want to meet up?"

"Whenever. I'm pretty much ready. Can I pick you up in about 20 minutes?"

"Yeah, that works great. I'll see you then."

"See you soon."

"Bye, Edward."

"Bye, Bella."

I had barely ended the call before I heard Alice calling to me. "How long do I have to make you look amazing?"

"He said he'll be here in 20 minutes."

"Well thank God you've given me a lot to work with, and that we did most of the work this morning. Get in here." Alice was standing in the bathroom. "Sit." I had already learned that it did no good to defy Alice, so I did as I was told. "Good, you didn't smear your makeup too much. All you need is a touchup."

I sighed, "Do your worst. Where's Rosalie?"

"Getting dressed. She's going to see Emmett before he leaves for practice."

Just then she popped up in the doorway. "I'll see you guys later. Have fun, Bella!" She was wearing a fuchsia and brown minidress with ¾ length sleeves. If she wasn't a complete supermodel, it would have looked much too short. I knew it was exactly the kind of dress that Emmett would appreciate.

I thought about my new friends while Alice painted my face and fiddled with my hair. I still didn't know them that well, but they accepted me right away. I definitely wasn't in Phoenix anymore. Alice melodic voice snapped me back into reality as I was getting lost in my thoughts. "You are officially perfect. Now, you still have five minutes before Edward gets here, so don't ruin my work!" I nodded, afraid of her wrath lest I smudge some eyeliner. I turned to the mirror, and a girl with defined brown eyes and brunette waves cascading down her back stared back at me. I had to hand it to Alice; she was very good at what she did. I made my way back to the living room and settled in on the couch. My mind wandered, often to visions of Edward.

The doorbell rang. I stood up, looking in the mirror quickly to make sure I looked Alice-approved. As I opened the door, I saw Edward standing before me. He looked absolutely perfect, as always, clad in dark denim jeans and a light blue shirt with the same charcoal converse he was wearing last night.


	8. Chapter 8

**Special Thanks to Edwardluvermonkey52 for favoriting my story!**

**A/N: I hate this chapter. I was trying to fix it, but i just got annoyed, so i just posted it and I'll deal with it later. **

**Chapter 8: A Day in the Park  
**

"Bella, you are an absolute vision," he said as he looked at me.

"That's a nice way to be greeted," I smiled, "You have Alice to thank for all this."

"I'll have to do that. But it's not the clothes and makeup that make you so stunning."

I felt my cheeks flush. "So, um, are you ready to go?"

He chuckled, "Sure. Let's go."

Edward led the way to his car, opening my door as always when we arrived. I slid into his car, thinking that I could get used to this. _Don't think that, Bella,_ I told myself._ You still don't know if he's really interested in you._ He turned on the engine.

"So what are we listening to today?" I asked. Before he could answer, "Everlong" by The Foo Fighters came through the speakers. "Oh, I love this song!" I exclaimed.

"I'm glad you like it. I'm a huge fan of Dave Grohl," he responded.

"Nirvana drummer Dave or Foo Fighters lead singer Dave?" I questioned.

"Ooh, that's a tough call," Edward said, "I love his lyrics, but he is an amazing drummer. So, yeah, drummer Dave."

"Oh too bad. I'm a Foo Dave fan myself. Not to say that he isn't a great drummer. I just really like his voice."

"Just when I thought that you were perfect," he shook his head back and forth, smirking.

"I was thinking the same thing," I teased back.

We spent the rather short car ride discussing the death of Kurt Cobain, both of us agreeing that it was definitely Courtney Love and not a suicide. Edward stopped the Volvo in front of a grassy little park, with a huge fountain in the middle. It was very quaint and picturesque. He then popped the trunk and pulled out a classic wicker picnic basket, complete with a red and white checkered blanket. It was possibly the most adorable sight I had ever seen.

"Too much?" he asked me, worry filling his voice.

"Not at all. I love it!" I responded, quashing his fear. Immediately his face broke into a smile.

"Oh, good. I wasn't sure if you were going to think it was too corny."

"Well, of course it's corny but it's also cute." I returned his smile.

He opened the blanket and spread it across the grass, placing the basket on top. "Shall we?" he asked as he motioned toward the blanket. In response, I sat down cross-legged on the blanket. He sat across from me and opened the basket, "On the menu today, we have some Italian subs, store-brand potato chips, strawberries, and of course, a bit of the bubbly." He pulled out a bottle of sparkling cider, and I tried to suppress the giggle rising up in my throat. "I figured if I was going cheesy, I might as well go all the way," he explained, a little embarrassed.

"Trust me, it's all appreciated. I need some fun today," I told him, in hopes of banishing his insecurities about the situation. I couldn't believe that Edward was feeling insecure about anything. With my reassuring, he pulled out two plastic champagne glasses and two paper plates, arranging the sandwiches, chips, and fruit on each before handing me one of each.

"So, what do you miss most about Phoenix?" Edward asked me.

"The sun," I replied jokingly. "I'm not sure, really. I mean, it hasn't really hit me yet that I'm not going home in two weeks. Especially since I've had Jen with me since I left; it doesn't feel like I live here yet."

"I know what you mean. You're really brave, though, moving here all by yourself. I know Chief Swan is in Washington, but Forks really isn't that close to here. I really admire that. I don't think I would be able to just up and move away from everyone I know," he looked at me seriously as he was saying this, and I knew he wasn't just trying to make me feel better.

"Yeah, but I mean, I was really lucky coming here. Who would have thought that I would end up with such great roommates? I never really fit in back in Phoenix. I had my group of friends, but I wasn't like the other girls. They were all tan and blonde and beautiful, but then I come here and meet Alice and Rose and they're practically walking the runway, but they accepted me right away and are genuinely some of the nicest people I've met. All of you are." I couldn't believe I was telling Edward all this. It was just so natural to talk with him.

"Well, you might not be tan or blonde, but don't let anyone tell you you're not beautiful," he said to me. A blush crept up to my face, covering me in pink. "You're beautiful, smart, funny, and sweet. I'll take that over some blonde hair any day." I was fully red now.

"Wow, Edward. That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me. I don't even know how to respond. Thank you."

"I meant every word," he said, his eyes piercing directly into my soul.

We lounged around, enjoying the sunny day that I knew I would have to say goodbye to all too soon. He laughed as I complained about the imminent cold.

"I can't believe that you're already complaining about it. It's such a nice day," he said as he looked up at the blue sky.

"But it won't last," I sighed, "Remember, I'm from Forks, too. I know it rains like, 300 days out of the year here. I'm just not looking forward to it."

"You'll get used to it. It's really not that bad. But let's enjoy today while we can."

"All right, I'll stop complaining," I pouted, but gave him a grin.

"Good, I like it much more when you smile," he returned. "So, what classes are you taking this semester?"

"English, Statistics, Comparative Lit, Psychology, and Art History."

"Well, that's quite a course load. What's your major?"

"I'm undecided right now, but I think I want to be an English major. I love writing and books."

"What's your favorite?"

"Book? Oh that's impossible to say. I love all the classics, of course. Right now I'm reading a lot of Chuck Palahniuk; I really like him. I just finished _Survivor_, it was fantastic. How about you? Do you read much?"

"Oh yeah. I'm a big Palahniuk fan myself. But I love Faulkner. He's got to be my favorite author."

"He's great. I adored _As I Lay Dying_." I said.

"Last year for my English final, I wrote a paper contrasting the styles of Faulkner and Hemingway. I love both of their work, but I found it so interesting that two people considered to be literary geniuses had completely opposite writing styles."

"I know," I said, in awe of what he had done, "Faulkner is so loquacious. It's like he throws in every word that can possibly fit into a sentence--."

"Right," he continued where I left off, "and Hemingway practically invented the idea of brevity."

"I'm sure your teacher loved it. That's seriously college thesis material," I praised.

Every time we were together I learned more things about Edward. I couldn't gain enough information about him; when he spoke, I was engulfed in his words. He was so intelligent, as if being absolutely gorgeous wasn't enough.

"She did like it," Edward explained, looking slightly embarrassed. "Actually, she suggested that I elaborate on it for a paper this year."

"That's awesome. Are you taking a Lit class this semester?" I questioned.

"No, I couldn't get one to fit into my schedule. Pre-med requires so many science classes, I don't know if I'll be able to take one, even though I would love it."

I blushed, realizing I had never asked him what his major was. "Wow, pre-med. That's pretty intense. What made you want to be a doctor?"

"I've wanted to be a doctor ever since I can remember," he explained. "My dad was a doctor, and so is Carlisle. I've grown up in hospitals. I love the idea of being there, helping people."

"That's amazing. You're going to make a great doctor." I laid back on the blanket, putting my knees up and my feet flat on the ground. "You know, I grew up in hospitals, too, but for a slightly different reason," I chuckled.

"That's true, you can't even walk off a curb without near-death. And Alice tells me you've tripped over the door-frame almost every time you walk in the house." Oh was he making fun of me now? He'll pay. I threw a strawberry at him, hitting him square in the forehead. I burst out in laughter, to which he lunged at me, pinning my hands to the ground. I wormed one hand out and it made its way to Edward's side, so I tickled him to freedom. I jumped on him tickling him until he cried mercy. As soon as I let him up, it was his turn to torture me. We laughed and fought until my stomach was sore from laughter. That's when I realized I was starting to get cold, and that the sun was setting.

"Brr, it's cold out now," I complained.

"Yeah, I guess it's time to pack this up," he responded, standing up.

"Ugh, this means it's that much closer to classes starting."

"I know, I have such a busy day tomorrow. I'm in class almost all day. What's your schedule like?"

"Well, tomorrow's not too bad, actually. I have class from 9 to 11 and then 1 to 4 basically. I'm free pretty much the rest of the day though."

"I'm off from noon to 1 too," Edward said, "maybe we could have lunch together."

"That would be great!" I said, excitement exuding through my voice.

"Cool. I'll call you when I get out of class then." We collected everything from the picnic and put it in the basket, then slowly made our way to his car. Although I didn't want to leave, I knew we had to. I had a lot to do to get ready for my first day of classes tomorrow. We had a quiet drive back, but it was never uncomfortable. I was thinking a lot about what this semester held for me, and I could only hope that Edward was a big part of it.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So I had all but given up on my story, but thanks to my amazing friends, and a lot of ice cream, I started back up. I would have had this up even sooner, if finals weren't approaching. Special thanks to Edwardluvermonkey52 for being the only one on here to offer me some support!**

**The other reason I didn't update sooner, was that I was engulfed in _If Every Word I Said Could Make You Laugh_, by carmelinagunn (AKA IEWIS). It's the best fanfic I've read so far, so if you have yet to check it out, you definitely should! She is also working on a sequel called _More, More, More_ which is equally fantastic.**

**Chapter 9:**

"Bella! Wake up! It's your first day of school and I have to make you look absolutely amazing!" I heard a shrill voice jolt me from my sleep.

"Alice, what time is it?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.

"7 o'clock. Now get your cute butt in the shower!"

"But I don't have class till 9. Why am I getting up two hours before my class?"

"I already told you! I have to make you look completely perfect. First impressions are very important, Bella," Alice chided.

"Ugh, Fine," I said as I rolled out of bed and stumbled towards the bathroom. I found my face wash on the counter and grabbed it as I turned on the shower. I let the hot water rush over me, granting me a much more pleasant awakening than Alice. _Speak of the devil_, I thought as I heard her walk into the bathroom humming, no doubt coming in to run the flat iron through her hair to get her pixie-spikes just so. "Alice," I called, "how long have you been awake?" now remembering that she was already showered and dressed when she woke me up.

"Only since six," she replied, going along with the melody she had been humming.

"Why on earth would you get up that early?"

"That's not even that early!"

"How do you fit all that energy into such a small person?" I questioned, wondering how she could run like only Alice can, on only four hours of sleep.

"It's the hair. It's an energy magnet."

"I knew it!"

"Yeah, yeah, now hurry up and finish your shower." I reluctantly turned the knob off and grabbed my towel to dry off. "Your clothes are—"

"Yeah, I figured," I cut her off. Thankfully, Alice gave me a somewhat casual look, although I would have preferred jeans. She laid out a white long sleeved shirt and a bright blue skirt with a black belt. With those, she had my black snakeskin-textured flats which survived the war she waged on my closet. I gratefully dressed in the outfit. Had someone forced me to pick out a skirt, I probably would have picked that one. Once I was clothed, I went back into the bathroom where Alice was waiting for me. She blow-dried my hair, then took the flat iron to it until it was pin straight, layers gracefully falling around my face. The makeup she did for me was similar to yesterday's: soft with browns and golds, and a peachy lip gloss. I had to admit, I was starting to get used to Barbie Bella. I mean, it was kind of a hassle to spend so much time getting ready, but Alice was really good at what she did.

"Perfect, as always," Alice mused as she looked at my reflection.

"Of course it is, Alice. What do you want for breakfast?"

"I'm good with cereal. It's almost 8:30 already." I walked over to the kitchen and pulled out two bowls and some Lucky Charms. I put a pot of coffee on, and then sat down next to Alice.

"Where's Rosalie?" I asked her, looking around for the missing blonde.

"She's at Emmett's. They wanted to um, celebrate the start of school." Alice responded, seeming a bit uncomfortable.

"With Jasper and Edward there?"

"It's not what you're thinking, Bella! Their apartment has another bedroom. That's where Emmett sleeps. Jasper and Edward share the other room.

"Oh, okay. I thought that was a little odd," we both chuckled. "Do you have class today?"

"Yeah, not till 11 though. I basically go from then until 4 though, which kind of sucks."

"I finish at 4 too. I'll cook us dinner tonight. Do you want anything in particular?"

"I'm thinking something involving chicken."

"How about Chicken Parm?" I suggested.

"Mmm, that sounds good. Damn it Bella, now I can't wait for dinner!" I laughed at her comment. Alice looked down at her watch, "You should get going, Bella, it's 8:45."

"Shoot, I hope I'm not late. Where's that messenger bag you got me?"

"On your desk. I went school supply shopping, too, so you have notebooks and stuff."

"Alice, you're a saint. I'll see you tonight!" I hugged her quickly as I hurried out the front door. I tossed the black messenger bag that held my notebooks for class into the cab of my truck and hopped in. I drove the short distance down to the English building. Luck was on my side, for once, and there was a spot right in front. I rushed into the building, looking for room 120. As I stepped into the room, I checked the clock; it was only 8:55. _Oh good, _I thought,_ I'm not late._ I scanned the room, hoping that someone I had met the other night would be in my class. I couldn't find anyone, however, so I took a seat in the front of the class. I was really hoping that I wouldn't be completely alone on my first day, but it wasn't looking good at all. I pulled out a notebook and jotted down the date: September 9th. Lazily, I looked around the classroom, waiting for my professor to walk in.

After a couple minutes, I heard a familiar voice, "Hi, Bella!"

I looked up to see Angela smiling at me. I greeted her with a warm grin, "Angela! I'm so glad that someone I know is in this class. Here, have a seat next to me." I motioned toward the empty seat on my right. Before she could sit, I heard another, deeper voice.

"Bella! Sweet, you're in my class." _Oh no,_ I said to myself.

"Hey Mike," I responded unenthusiastically. He plopped down in the seat on the other side of me. Great.

"That party was crazy. Man, what a way to start college."

"Yeah, you didn't look so good when you left though."

"Nah, I was fine. Yorkie was overreacting."

"Angela," I tried to turn the conversation away from Mike, "when did you end up leaving?"

"Like one or so, I think," she responded, "My roommate, Jessica, drove me home."

"Yeah, I definitely left the party too early," Mike cut in. He was really starting to get on my nerves. I knew I wasn't being fair to him; he was trying to be friendly, but something just annoyed the hell out of me. I ignored him and continued with my conversation with Angela.

"What are you up to today?"

"I don't know yet. I'm in class pretty much all day."

"I get out at 4 and then I'm making dinner for my roommates. Do you want to meet up for coffee around 7 tonight? We can talk about our first day."

"That sounds great!"

Just then, our professor walked in. "I'll call you when we finish eating," I whispered to her. Professor Martin only kept us for an hour, since it was the first day and we weren't really learning anything. I scanned the syllabus; I would need a lit anthology from the bookstore. I hoped that the money in my account would suffice for all the books I would need. If not, I knew Rene and Charlie would help me out, but I hated having to ask my parents for money; we weren't incredibly well off, and I could take care of myself. The coursework didn't seem too terrible for this class. We had three papers to write, a midterm, and a final. I knew that there wasn't much Professor Martin was saying that was of importance, so I filtered pretty much everything out that didn't have "exam," "paper," or "grade" in the sentence. I had doodled in the margins, little flowers, faces, and hearts.

"That's all for today, I will see you all on Monday," Professor Martin concluded the class. The sound of notebooks closing and backpacks opening filled the room, but I didn't move right away. I was finishing drawing a rose on the upper right hand corner of my syllabus.

"You know, Bella, doodling flowers are a sign of a gentle personality," Mike leaned over my paper, observing the drawings on it.

"Oh, really? How do you know that?" I asked. Hmm, I was actually intrigued in something Mike was saying.

"I read a book on doodle interpretations. See, on your faces they all have big lips? That means you have some sort of frustrated desire."

I blushed furiously. "Thanks Mike, that's pretty cool. I have to get going though." I swooped my notebook and my syllabus into my messenger bag, and hurried out of the room. I didn't want to get into my "desires" with Mike Newton. I caught up with Angela in the hallway, "So I'll call you later, Ange."

"Yeah, that'll be perfect. Sorry, I didn't mean to leave you all alone to fend for yourself back there. Mike is a nice guy, he's just extremely friendly. He seems to have taken an interest in you though."

"I know, and I'd rather he not, to be perfectly honest," I told her.

"Has someone else caught your eye?" she asked, somewhat timidly. I could tell she was actually interested, but didn't want to pry.

"Um, kind of, I guess, yeah," I stumbled out, "You remember Edward that I introduced you to Monday night?"

"Oh yeah, he was really sweet. You have a thing for him? Good choice," she beamed at me.

"Yeah, well he took me to breakfast after the party, and yesterday we went on a picnic. It was adorable."

"That's so cute! I like him already. When are you going to see him again?"

"Actually, we're meeting for lunch again today."

"Well, I want to hear how that goes tonight for sure. I gotta get to my next class though. I'll see you later!"

"Bye, Ange!" I called as I walked back through the hall, which was starting to fill with students leaving their classes.

It was another nice day out. I ambled along, feeling the sun warm my skin as I made my way back to my car. About halfway to my beloved truck, however, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather. I turned and instead headed toward the bookstore, figuring that I might as well buy my anthology today while I was already out. It was a short walk, for which I was thankful because I only had to concentrate on not falling for about five minutes. Even so, I still stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk once, cursing my stubbed toe under my breath. On my walk, I marveled again at just how green Washington was. Nothing could beat the greenness of Forks, but this was close. I guess with Edward around all the time, I hadn't looked at much else. I liked it though, even though I used to think it was too green. Maybe Edward was right; if the green of Washington was growing on me already, it was only a matter of time before the wet did too. I'd have to let Rene know when that happened; she'd be shocked. I chuckled to myself, which garnered me a few looks from the people around me. Of course, my cheeks flushed. I quickly ducked into the bookstore, finding the required text for my class—my face fell when I discovered a used copy was $150. I knew that I wouldn't have enough money for the rest of my books, so I set it back on the shelf and resolved that I would buy it online somewhere.

I decided to look at the other books they had. I found _The Sun Also Rises_ by William Faulkner. The discussion that Edward and I had had the day before persuaded me to buy it. I found a small bench out in the sunlight and sat down to begin my new book. Just then, I felt my phone vibrate in my bag: a text from Edward.

_I've been excited about lunch since I finished breakfast ____._

I smiled at the words on my screen. Edward was so cute sometimes. Well, actually, Edward was pretty cute all the time. I texted him back, still grinning.

_Such a man, always thinking about food._

I giggled at my joke. The truth was, though, I had been thinking about lunch since our picnic yesterday. Clearly I couldn't tell Edward that; he would think I'm some sort of crazy person. My phone buzzed again.

_Well, I'm no Emmett, but I try. Plus I'm looking forward to who I'm having lunch with, not what we're having._

_You should be excited at what we're having. _I typed my response,_ I'm making a fabulous buffalo chicken pizza._

I had decided upon this last night, while I was watching 30 Minute Meals on Food Network. That Rachel Ray has the most irritating voice, but the best recipes, and her buffalo chicken pizza looked really good. I wanted to try it out, and I figured my lunch with Edward would be perfect. Buzz.

_Mmm, now I really can't wait!_

I relaxed on the bench, focusing on the world of Faulkner, hoping it would help time pass until I needed to be back in my apartment to make Edward's and my lunch. Unfortunately I only got about ten pages in before I heard a certain pixie voice call out to me.

"Ow, Ow, who's that sexy girl on the bench?"

Even though there was no one around, I felt my face flush. Alice bounded up to me, Rosalie in tow. Rose let out a low whistle, "Bella, you look hot. Eddie's gonna be floored when he sees you."

I smiled at the compliment, focusing on keeping my cheeks from becoming redder. "What are you guys doing out here?" I asked, "Don't you have class, Alice?"

"What? We can't come see our roommate?" Alice feigned hurt.

"Of course you can, I just wasn't expecting to see you."

Rose laughed at Alice and me. "I need something that says WSU on it for my class. My professor emailed us saying we're doing impromptu speeches about an item from the bookstore."

"That sounds, um, fun," I responded, making a face. Public speaking is definitely not my thing, but it's perfect for Rosalie, who will without a doubt end up on the big screen somewhere.

Alice and Rose giggled at my expression. "Bella, it's not hard. You just have to talk," Rose explained to me as if it were easy as tying your shoes.

"Yeah, for you. I, on the other hand, turn beet red like it's a hobby and trip over air. So having me perform in front of people is a recipe for disaster."

"I found my project for this year!" Alice squealed. I look at her, utterly confused, prompting her to explain. "Bella, I'm going to make you so self-confident by the end of the year, you'll be rivaling Rose and me."

Still confused, I just said, "Good luck, Alice."

"I wouldn't fight it, Bella. It's going to happen. Once Alice picks a project, she finishes it. And always by deadline."

"Okay," I conceded, still not convinced. I'd need to be a supermodel to not feel inadequate in a room with those two, and even then I'd still be nervous.

"Eek!" Alice cried as she checked her watch. "I'm going to be late for sketching!" And with that she half-ran to the design building, calling "Love you! See you later!" as she shrank off in the distance.

"So, wanna help me pick out something in the bookstore?" Rosalie turned toward me.

"Sure, I've got some time before I have to go make lunch."

"What's the deal with you and Edward, exactly?" she asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," I said, looking down at the ground. "I like him, probably more than I should, but I don't know how he feels about me, other than as a friend."

We walked in the bookstore and headed to the section with all the WSU gear.

"Alice told me that if you said anything other than how Edward is completely in love with you, to 'slap some sense into you.'" We both chuckled, knowing that if she were here, she probably would smack me. "She's right though. I don't know if I know Edward well enough to gauge if he's in love with you, but he definitely has strong feelings for you."

"What scares me though is that I barely met him a few days ago," I found myself admitting, "and I already feel like I've known him my whole life. I've never been so comfortable with someone before."

"Yeah, I think the Cullens have that effect on all of us," she said seriously now. "I think that's how you know someone's important in your life though. I was the same way with Emmett. The first time I saw him in Trig I was smitten. He was a big oaf back then, but he was charming and funny, and everything about him just drew me in. It was like I had to memorize his face that first time, or else he might slip away." Rosalie was absorbed in the memory now, absentmindedly picking up a maroon sweatshirt that had Washington State Cougars in white lettering across the chest. "He walked over to me, with this swagger in his step that made me laugh and said, 'Let me get your chair, m'lady.'

"I knew he was trying to be a clown, so I pretended to be unimpressed, but secretly I loved it. I was so excited that he was near me, and then he sat down next to me!" I could see the fifteen-year-old Rosalie in her eyes that was still excited to have Emmett talk to her. "Of course I had crushes before Emmett, but they were nothing like how I felt around him. I wasn't sure how to deal with it, so I resorted to what I knew—acting like I was too mature for his antics and being cold to him. It felt all wrong, though. I wanted to laugh at every joke and hold onto him and never let go. He introduced himself as Big E and informed me that one day our children will be the best athletes this side of the Mississippi." I had been trying to let her continue on with the story, but I let out an audible laugh at that.

"That's such an Emmett thing to do," I interjected.

"I know." she smiled with me. "I swear he's on a different wavelength than the rest of us."

"Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt the story. Go on."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Big E's ridiculous antics can be enjoyed by all. Well, I figured that, like most class clowns, I was just his material for the class. But when lunchtime came around later that day, Emmett plopped down at our table, next to me, and yelled, 'Honey, I'm hoooome!' Of course Edward, Alice, and Jasper gave me confused looks, and I imagine I had the same expression on my face. Big E introduced himself to the group as 'Rosie's future baby daddy' and I had to stifle a giggle because I was still giving him the cold shoulder _obviously._" She rolled her eyes remembering how silly she was as a teenager. "He looked at me and told me that he would get me to laugh and that when I did, I was accepting his invitation to winter formal. After that day, he was relentless. He sat next to me every day in Trig, doing anything to make me laugh. I almost cracked about a week after he started his game." She paused, thinking back.

"What did he do?" I asked.

"We were sitting at lunch one day, when Emmett strolled in wearing a dress. Of course Alice, Jasper, and Edward were rolling with laughter. I was literally chewing on the inside of my cheek so I wouldn't laugh. He went to the salad bar and made the exact same salad that I ate everyday for lunch and then did a runway walk over to the table. Between laughs, Alice asked him what he was doing. He set the tray down, and lightly sat down next to me. I was still trying to keep my laughter in, when he mimed flipping his hair, and started mimicking my every move. He kept it up the entire lunch period. The principal came in and gave him detention for cross dressing."

"Where did he get the dress?" I knew I would have to tease Emmett about wearing a dress later. We walked back out of the bookstore and made our way back down to where my car was parked, which was on the way to the Theatre Building where Rose needed to go.

"I still have no idea, he never told me."

"So what made you finally crack?"

"The stupidest thing. I only lasted another week. He sat down next to me in Trig, like he did every day, and instead of pulling some big stunt, he just smiled and asked, 'Why do farts stink?' Still playing it cool, I asked, 'Why?' to which he replied, 'So deaf people can enjoy them too!' I lost it. I couldn't stop laughing, no matter how hard I tried."

I looked at her, dumbfounded. Rosalie? Perfect Rosalie laughing at a fart joke? I broke out into laughter, "Rose, I would never expect you to laugh at a fart joke."

"I know. I don't even think it was the joke so much; it just caught me off guard and I was so tired of pretending I didn't like him. I think I would have laughed at pretty much anything at that point. You have to admit though, that joke is pretty funny."

I chuckled, "I guess. It's pretty classic."

"So, anyway, I went with him to Winter Formal that year and the rest, as they say, is history."

"That's awesome. I wish I had a funny story about how I met the love of my life," I said, sighing a little bit.

"Well, I mean, he did almost run you over with his car," Rose muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I gotta go, Bella. I'll see you tonight! Alice said you're making chicken parm. That's my favorite!" And with that she hurried off toward the Theatre Building. I knew exactly what she said, but I couldn't believe she said it. I don't know why everyone was so concerned with Edward and me becoming soul mates and living happily ever after. I mean, from what I knew, he was perfect, and I wouldn't mind it, but it's just not realistic. I couldn't help ponder what Rosalie had said about the first time she saw Emmett, though. She had described exactly how I felt the first time I met Edward. _You're just being crazy now, _I thought to myself and hopped into the cab of my truck.

I picked up some stuff from the grocery to cook lunch and dinner tonight. Checking my phone, I realized that it was already 11:45 and Edward would be at the apartment soon. I rushed home, and threw the groceries on the counter. I then worked quickly to put the pizza together. Before I knew it, it was after noon, and the doorbell sounded. I stepped into the bathroom to check myself in the mirror before answering the door, knowing that Edward would look amazing.

"Hi," a velvety voice greeted me as I opened the door. I was taken aback by his face. It had been a whole day since I had last seen him, and his beauty overwhelmed me a bit. My knees went weak, and I started to fall. I braced myself for the impact of the ground, but instead all I felt were arms wrapped tightly around me. "Bella, am I going to have to spend my life catching you when you fall?" Edward asked me as he set me right, still not letting go of my waist, and flashing me a crooked smile. I swear I could feel my knees weaken again, but I forced myself to stay vertical.

"Maybe," I replied a bit sheepishly, my cheeks reddening.

He finally let go of me and my heart sank in my chest. "You look absolutely stunning," Edward told me.

"Thanks," I said, "so do you," not realizing that my eyes were still stuck on his face. I forced my eyes downward. He was dressed in slightly distressed jeans, a simple black t-shirt that was just tight enough to show his defined body, and black Vans slip-ons. I never realized how amazing a simple outfit could look.

"This is for you," he said, extending his right hand to me. I hadn't even noticed before that he had something in his hand. I took a white flower from him. It was beautiful, but I don't know anything about flowers, so I had no idea what type it was.

"This is absolutely gorgeous. What kind of flower is it?"

"It's a Cala Lily," Edward simply stated.

"I love it. Thank you so much." I turned to find a tall glass, since we didn't have a vase to put it in. As I was filling the glass with water, I noticed that Edward looked a little flustered. "Edward, is everything okay?"

"I should have brought you a vase."

"It's fine, don't worry about it. The flower alone is more than you needed to give me." I half-scolded with a smile.

"Are you sure? I can go get you one."

"Edward, sit." I pointed to a chair at the table. "I don't need you to get me a vase. Now, I want to hear all about your day so far." I walked to the kitchen to grab two plates, and take the pizza out of the oven. "So how are your classes so far?" He took a seat, sighing in defeat. I was not going to let him beat himself up for giving me a beautiful flower.

"I've only had my Bio lecture so far. I liked it though. My professor sounds like he knows what he's talking about. I have my lab after this."

"That's good. What do you want to drink?"

"Water's fine." I pulled down two glasses, and filled them with water. I tried to balance the pizza, plates and water as I walked over to the table, but I spilled water everywhere. Edward got up and grabbed the pizza and plates from me. "I've never met someone as accident-prone as you, Bella," Edward laughed, "And here you are trying to walk while balancing food. You are utterly absurd."

"So anyway," I said, ignoring his teasing, "Do you know anyone in your class?"

"Not really, there were a couple of people that I recognized from the party, but no one that I really remembered." We both sat down and Edward cut the pizza, giving himself and me each a piece. "How was your class?"

"It was okay. I have to look up the anthology I need on Craig'sList or something though, because it's $150 in the bookstore."

"Yeah, all my science books are ridiculously expensive. Did you know anyone?"

"Actually, yeah. Do you remember Angela from the party?"

"Yeah, that girl from Granite Falls, right? She seemed really nice."

"Granite Falls, that's where she's from! I couldn't remember. But yeah, she's really sweet. She's in class with me, and so is Mike Newton."

"Newton, eh?" Edward raised an eyebrow as he took a bite of his pizza.

"He's only slightly less annoying sober than he is drunk," I said with a laugh. "I don't really want to talk about Mike, though. How's the pizza?"

"This is delicious, Bella. Alice said you were a good cook, but I underestimated you."

"I'm glad you like it. This lunch must be pretty boring without Emmett though."

"What are you talking about?" Edward looked concerned; as if he thought I meant I'd rather Emmett be here. Of course that wasn't true. I quickly explained.

"Rose told me all about Emmett's method of courting," I giggled.

"Oh yeah, that was a fun couple of weeks," he replied, visibly becoming relieved. "We all knew immediately he was exactly what Rosalie needed, but of course she wouldn't 'lower herself' to respond to Emmett."

"I still can't believe she laughed at a fart joke."

"I know, it was the oddest thing. I mean, we were all laughing at everything Emmett did, but when they walked to the table together that day, we just kind of looked at them. I couldn't believe that she finally cracked. I knew she was close after the cross-dressing day, though."

"Do you know whose dress that was?"

"No idea. If I had to guess though, I'd say it was Kate Denali. She's almost as big a prankster as Emmett, so she would be the one to lend him a dress."

"Was she a good friend of yours?" I asked, slightly more interested. He never mentioned any other girls from his high school, especially not by name. Although, I suppose I would have to be an idiot if I thought that the only people he talked to in Forks were the ones who were here with him now.

"I don't know that I would call her a good friend. We had some of the same friends, so we would all hang out, but that was really it."

I wasn't convinced that was the whole story. Something told me that Edward was trying to hide a bit of his past from me. "So she was a friend of Alice and Rosalie?"

"Sort of. Her boyfriend, Garrett, was on the football team with Emmett, so they would double date sometimes or hang out with the whole group."

Edward's voice was off. I tried to convince myself I was just imagining it, but there was a nagging feeling I just couldn't shake. There was more to this story that I would have to get to the bottom of. I glanced at the clock. It was already 12:45. I wouldn't have time to unveil the whole truth today. I started to grab the plates and take them to the kitchen, but Edward wouldn't let me. "Please Bella, let me. It's the least I could do after you cooked me this fantastic meal." He hurried to the sink to wash the dishes. "Do you want a ride to your next class?" he asked me.

"That would be great, Edward. Thanks." I had all but forgotten that feeling that something was off. I grabbed my school bag, and dropped it on the couch before going to the bathroom quickly.

When I emerged, I saw Edward standing by the door. "Ready to go?" he questioned, spinning his keys around his finger.

"Sure," I responded, grabbing my bag and leading him out of the door.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm a horrific person for taking so long on this. My only excuse is that it didn't sound right, and I rewrote it like 10 times. I'm still not sold on it, but I hope you guys like it.**

**Special thanks to everyone who has favorited this story, put it on alert, and especially those who review! You guys are the reason I haven't thrown my laptop against the wall and given up!**

**Please read, enjoy, and review!  
**

**Chapter 10: I Need Answers**

My second class of the day, Statistics, was pretty uninteresting. There wasn't anyone that I knew in that class, but I met some people who seemed pretty nice. My professor, again, only kept us long enough to go over the syllabus. This was the one class that I really was not looking forward to at all. I hated math with a burning passion, and Statistics was not looking good for me. I thought about finding a tutor, and wondered if Edward was any good at Statistics. Of course, my thoughts ran away from math, and I pondered Edward's strange behavior at lunch. Who was Kate Denali? I would have to ask Alice and Rosalie about it at dinner tonight. Ugh, I wanted answers immediately—I didn't want to wait till five or six. I took to doodling all over my paper again, trying to will the clock to move faster.

I was supposed to have Psychology right after Stat, but since we got out early I had about an hour to kill. I decided to call my mom, since I hadn't talked to her yet and I knew she would by absolutely dying to hear about my first day. And plus, she might have some insight into the whole Edward situation. I took up residence on a bench in the sun and pulled out my phone, dialing my home number.

"Hello?" my mom spoke into the phone.

"Hey Mom."

"Bella! I've been waiting for your call all day! How's your first day of college? Are your classes hard already? How was your date with Edward? Do you need money for books? Is it raining there yet? Have you—"

"Whoa, Mom, slow your roll a little!" I chuckled. "My first day is going well. I still have one more class today in about an hour, but I really like my English professor already."

"Oh good. You'll be fine in that class, hon. You're an amazing writer! Are you taking any math?"

"Yeah, I'm taking Statistics. I'm not so sure how I feel about that one though. You know how much I hate math. I guess it's better to get it out of the way now than wait till later."

"What else are you taking?"

"Psychology, Comparative Lit, and Art History. I'm really excited for my Lit class. I have it tomorrow."

"Okay, okay, enough about classes. Tell me about Edward!"

I laughed at my mom sounding like a teenage girl waiting for gossip. "Well, yesterday was absolutely perfect. He took me to a little park right outside campus and set up a picnic—complete with a red and white checkered blanket." She squealed into the phone, sounding very Alice-esque. "It was really nice to just spend some time with him out in the sun. Especially since I know that the good weather won't last too much longer. At the end of our picnic, he asked me to join him for lunch today."

"Bella! This boy is crazy about you! I like him already. Are you going to bring him home to meet me?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know if he's 'crazy about me,' Mom. Today he was acting kind of, um, weird."

"What happened?"

"Well we were talking about how Emmett and Rosalie got together back in Forks," I quickly went into the story to fill her in. "When he mentioned Kate, I asked him about her because he never really talked about anyone in Forks other than the group here. He said that they ran in a similar group of friends, but when I asked him how their groups crossed, he was really sketchy about the details."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't really know. He said that Emmett and her boyfriend, Garrett, were friends, but it sounded like he was holding something back." As I was voicing my concern for the first time, I realized that I was probably overreacting, a lot. "Do I sound crazy? Now I feel like I'm reading way too far into things."

"No, you're not crazy, but this really seems like nothing. Next time you get a chance, just tell him that you felt like there was part of the story he was omitting on purpose. It's probably nothing important. There isn't much that boy could say that would be a deal breaker, from the way you talk about him, honey."

"I know, Mom. He just seems too good to be true. I need to call Jen. I told her I'd talk to her today and I only have like 20 minutes before class. I'll talk to you later though. Love you."

"Love you too, baby. Bye."

I called Jen and had pretty much the same conversation. She told me I was nuts for thinking Edward was anything but perfect. "She met him, she would know." I asked her about Jake, and she was just as smitten as she was when she left here.

"So, do you think you're going to head up to Washington for Thanksgiving?" I asked her.

"I don't know. My mom might kill me. But I do want to see you and Charlie. And obviously Jacob!" she replied.

"I think you should come up. Convince your mom to do Thanksgiving a week early at your house or something. It's not like you live far from home now."

"You're right. I'll persuade her somehow. But we have a lot of time to figure that out. So is it just gonna be you, Rose, and Alice for dinner tonight?"

"I think so, but I'm not sure. I kind of hope it's just us because I want to ask them about the whole Kate Denali thing without the guys around. I've gotta head off to class though, Jen. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, love you girlie! And don't stress about Edward. He's perfect in every way."

"Thanks. Love you too. Bye."

"Bye!"

I made my way over to the building that housed my psychology class. Once I stepped inside the room, I noticed Rosalie sitting cross-legged in the front row, with Edward on the left side of her! He flashed one of his million-dollar smiles at me, and I immediately turned bright red. How could I have thought Edward was hiding something from me? That smile was so honest. I could feel myself getting lost in his eyes until I heard an "Ahem" and saw Rosalie gesturing to the seat next to her. I slid into the desk, "I didn't know you guys were in my class."

"Well, neither did we," Rose chuckled.

"I'm so glad that you guys are here though," I said, "I'm a little intimidated by Psychology."

"Don't be," Edward reassured me. "I took it in high school and it's mostly common sense." Of course he took it in high school. The boy was absolutely amazing in every way. I wouldn't be surprised if next he told me that his father let him do open heart surgery with him!

"Thanks, and if all else fails, I'll pay you to write my papers," I replied with a laugh.

"If you pay me with buffalo chicken pizza, I'd do it," he grinned back.

Rosalie looked back and forth between us, giggling.

"What?" Edward and I both asked?

"You guys get caught up in this little world. It's cute, but kind of awkward when you're in the middle of it."

"And watching you and Em practically get it on on any hard surface isn't?" Edward almost spat.

"Calm down, _Eddie_," she sneered, "I didn't ask you to stop, it was merely an observation."

"Don't call him that," I said, nudging Rosalie and pointing to Edward, who was practically fuming from the ears. We both started laughing. "His head might explode. Oh! I meant to ask you, I need to pick up groceries from the store. Is tonight's dinner just us and Alice, or is it everyone?"

"Just the roomies," Rosalie answered, and then turned to Edward, "No boys allowed."

"You're leaving me to figure out dinner with Emmett? Oh Lord."

"You can eat at the caf one night," I told him, "it won't kill you."

"But you're cooking! I want that!" Edward whined.

Suddenly, an old voice came from the door, "Welcome to the wonderful world of Psychology!" Our professor was probably about 65, with white hair and a full-fledged beer belly. He was probably as short as me, but he stood straight and tall. He had a kind smile, one that made you want to smile right along with him.

This class did not follow suit to the rest of my classes. Firstly, Edward was constantly looking past Rosalie at me. It seemed like he wasn't even paying attention to what Dr. Keegan was saying. And Dr. Keegan wasn't just going over our syllabus. He was animated about Psychology and all the reasons it would be our favorite class this semester. He then made us pair up with someone in the class that we didn't know. I ended up being partnered with an exchange student from South America named Zafrina. She was from Brazil, and was an Amazon Woman in every right. It was kind of difficult to understand her through the thick accent, but it seemed that her school in Brazil thought Washington State was in Washington D.C. She's a Political Science major, so she wanted to be in the Capital for her study abroad. She seemed like a nice girl, although at 6'4" she was a little intimidating.

After we were dismissed, I waited for Rosalie so we could go back to the apartment together. Really, though, I wanted to ask her about Kate Denali and why Edward was acting so weird. I had this feeling that since Alice was all but planning our wedding, I wouldn't get a straight answer from her; so I figured Rosalie was a better avenue to go down. Little did I expect, Edward was staying, too.

"Do you think you could give me a ride back to the apartments? I didn't drive down to class today," Edward asked me.

_Damn! _ I thought. _I'll never get to talk to Rose at this point._ "Uh, sure. Rose, do you need a ride, too?"

"No, I drove down, and I'm stopping by at Emmett's for a bit. I'll see you for dinner though!" And with that, she was out the door.

"Shall we?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"After you," Edward replied, holding the door open for me.

I took a deep breath. Maybe this was an opportunity to get my fears out in the open. I decided I was just going to go for it. "Um, Edward, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Okay. Today, when we were having lunch, it seemed like there was a part of the story you were trying to keep secret. Like how you knew Kate. It felt like you didn't want to tell me everything. Was there something else, or am I just insane."

Edward sighed. "You're right. I was keeping something from you. I don't even know why, really. Kate's sister, Tanya, is my ex-girlfriend. She's kind of crazy and I don't like to think about her." He looked really uncomfortable, and almost awkward in his own skin. "I didn't want to say anything, I guess because I didn't want to talk about my ex to you. It was really stupid. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," I said, now relieved. "I just thought my imagination was getting the best of me. I'm just glad I'm not crazy."

"I don't want to keep things from you, Bella. Can we forget about all my stupidity this afternoon?"

"Sure, but I mean, you don't have to tell me every little detail of your life if you don't want to."

"I do want to tell you though. I know we haven't known each other for more than just a few days, but I care about you a lot already." Edward looked deep into my eyes, and I was lost in his green orbs.

"Okay," I said lamely, still mesmerized by his gaze. I shook my head as if to clear my thoughts. "I care about you too," I managed to squeak out. We approached my truck, and I drove the short distance to the apartments.

"Will you save me some leftovers?" Edward pleaded.

"If there are any," I said with a laugh. "Alice can eat her weight in food." I remembered the breakfast I made the day before that Alice demolished.

"Yeah," Edward looked defeated, but then smiled. "One time she almost beat Emmett in an eating contest."

"I believe it," I giggled. I noticed how much I did that when Edward was around. He got out of the car and in a flash was at my door, opening it for me.

"I know how upset I would be if someone was keeping you from cooking me dinner, so we should probably get you to the girls." Edward gave a smirk and I almost melted into the seat. I regained my composure for a second, managed to smile back, and then got out of the car and walked hand-in-hand with Edward back to my door. He leaned down and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll see you soon," he said.

"Definitely," I replied, opened my door, and disappeared inside before he could see me turning red.

"It's about time!" Alice's distinct voice called from the bedroom. "I'm starving, and I've been dreaming about chicken all day. I drew a chicken in a ball gown in Sketching today!"

"All right, all right, I'm getting in the kitchen. Keep your clothes on." I quickly threw the ingredients together, breading my cutlets with lightning speed. As I tossed it into the oven, I called Alice out, "There's some bread and butter if you're that hungry, Alice. And I' m whipping up a salad."

That's all it took to have her running out of the bedroom and onto the dining room table, sketchpad still in hand. Alice dug into a roll, and just as I was putting the finishing touches on my salad, Rosalie walked in. "I thought you guys were going to wait for me," she complained.

"We just started with bread," Alice replied, mouth full.

"So Bella, how was your ride back with Edward?" Rose asked me.

"You rode back with Edward and you didn't tell me?" Alice almost shrieked.

"I didn't think it was a huge deal. Um, it was fine, but I kind of wanted to talk to you about him."

"What's up?" Rosalie arched an eyebrow at me.

"Well, it's nothing now," I started, "I talked to him about it. It was just when I was telling him how you told me yours and Emmett's story, he said the dress was probably Kate Denali's. I had never heard Edward mention anyone from Forks by name before so I was kind of interested. But when he explained who she was, he sounded like he was leaving a lot out. I asked him in the car, though and he cleared it all up."

"What did he say," Alice asked, looking almost as uncomfortable as Edward did earlier.

"He just explained that Kate's sister, Tanya, was his crazy ex-girlfriend and that he felt weird talking about exes to me."

"Where did this flower come from?" Rose pointed to the lily that I had put on the table.

"Oh, Edward brought it when we had lunch today. He was all upset that he didn't think to bring a vase. It was actually really cute."

"Do you know what a Calla Lily represents?" Alice questioned.

"No, I just thought it was a pretty flower."

"It represents ultimate beauty. My mom told Edward when we were kids that when he meets the most beautiful girl in the world, he should give her a Calla Lily."

"How come he never gave me one, then?" Rose joked, and we all laughed. "Seriously though, Bella. The boy's got it bad for you." I couldn't stop smiling the rest of dinner.

I made extra dinner for Edward, Emmett, and Jasper. I figured that I would drop it off to them when I left to go meet Angela. I put it in some Tupperware after dinner and told the girls my plans for the night.

"You're feeding Emmett?" Rose looked at me, feigning concern.

"Should I not?"

"Not unless you want to cook for him every night," she chuckled.

"Well, Edward already wants me to cook for him every night. I guess I can take on the role of chef."

"Good luck."

I walked down to the boys' apartment building. I checked the time; only 6:30. Good, I won't be late to meet Ange. I hoped that the guys hadn't eaten yet. Somehow, I figured that they would want food even if they already ate. I knocked on the door, realizing that I hadn't actually been inside yet. Emmett opened the door, looking surprised.

"Hungry?" I asked, holding the food in front of me.

"Oh Bella! Bellisima! You are an angel!" Emmett grabbed the food and ran to the kitchen.

"Bella's here?" My favorite sound asked from the next room.

"And she brought us dinner!" Emmett was bouncing up and down, just looking at it. "Rose told me that you were making them chicken parmesan and I was so sad when she said it was girls only. But now you're here with it and you're my favorite girl ever!" He ran over to me and swept me up into a bone-crushing hug, swinging me around in the air.

"Can't. Breathe!" Emmett finally set me down and I grabbed my chest, trying to catch my breath.

Edward came over and gave me a much tamer hug, but by the end of that one, I was still breathless. "Thanks, Bella. I was not looking forward to cafeteria food after your cooking."

"I could tell how bummed you were, so I thought I would surprise you. As thanks for the lily."

"He gave you a Calla?" Jasper made himself known for the first time.

"Yeah," I responded, blushing scarlet. I caught Edward giving a strange look to Jasper. Then I noticed Emmett taking the Tupperware and putting it into the microwave. "Emmett, no!" I stopped him. "You can't microwave that. Here, let me do it." I grabbed three plates and put the food on them, cooking them one at a time. I gave the first plate to Emmett, who was drooling at this point. "How can someone who loves food so much be so backwards in the kitchen?"

"Because my mommy loves me and cooks all my food."

"Am I going to have to teach you how to do laundry, too?"

"Yes, please!" he said between bites.

"Wow, Em, you're the biggest kid I know."

"He's proud of that, too," Edward interjected.

"Of course he is," I chuckled. "Well this has been fun, but I really have to get going. I'm meeting Angela for coffee and it's almost 7 already."

"Oh," Edward looked, sad? "Well I'll see you later then."

"Bye guys. Bye Edward." And this time I was the one that kissed his cheek.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Ughh, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in MONTHS AND MONTHS. I kind of lost interest in the story for a while, and then I was super busy with school and the such. At one point, I was writing this story a sentence at a time, and it wasn't even a sentence a day. It was more like a sentence whenever I decided to open it. I'm pretty happy with the way this chapter ended up, though, even if it's a little choppy in parts. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter, and the little fun at the end (no peeking!). I would really appreciate some reviews, so I know that someone, somewhere hasn't given up on this story. Ideas are welcome, too! Now, read and enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 11: Why Can't I Put Plastic in the Microwave?  
**

"Why would he be so weird about mentioning she was his ex-girlfriend's sister?" Angela asked me puzzled.

I sipped my coffee, "I don't know. It's kind of weird, but I get not wanting to talk about exes. He was probably just afraid that I'd want to know all about her or something."

It wasn't that Angela didn't trust Edward; she just didn't know him at all. So she was the only one of my friends that was really skeptical about what was going on. I was happy to have her on my Edward-is-hiding-something-and-I'm-not-crazy side, but I wished she was around earlier when I was going nuts about it. Now, I saw no reason not to believe Edward has told me the whole truth. I wanted to steer the conversation away from Sketchy Edward and go back to Romantic, Perfect Edward, so I dove into the story about the lily, and Ange swooned right along with me.

"But tell me about your day," I said, realizing we had been talking about me this whole time. It was weird being on this end of a friendship. Usually I'm the one who listens; I don't like talking about myself incessantly. But talking about Edward? That I could do all day.

"Oh, nothing exciting really. I don't know anyone in any of my other classes, so that kind of sucks. Oh, but my roommate told me that she got invited to a party at this guy Sam's place on Saturday. It would be cool if you could make it."

"Yeah I'd love to. Let me run it by Alice and Rose just to make sure they didn't have other plans for us already," I said. "It wouldn't surprise me if Saturday afternoon they threw me into a dress and told me we were leaving for a party," I continued, rolling my eyes.

"At least they have great style. It's not like they're throwing you into hideous clothes. You always look great."

"I know. And it beats having to think about what to wear every day. I'm just not used to being so dressed up all the time. I mean the things Alice buys can be so expensive! I feel like most outfits she puts me in are worth more than my house. Well, except right now. These are all mine." I gestured to my clothes. I was still wearing the long-sleeved shirt Alice had put me in, but she allowed me to put my old jeans on before I left. I complained to her that I would get too cold at night in a skirt and thankfully, she agreed I could wear jeans.

"Can I be Alice's roommate next year?" she joked.

"Maybe," I chuckled.

We finished our coffees and made our way back to the apartments. It seemed that most students who lived on-campus lived here, which I liked because it made meeting up with my new friends a lot easier. I walked back to my door thinking about how much I really liked Angela. She was so much like me, and so easy to talk to. Already after my first day of college, I was fitting in so much better than I ever did in Phoenix. I obviously missed my friends from home, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. "Hello?" I answered.

"Bella, we have a slight problem. Emmett may or may not have microwaved your Tupperware," Jasper's voice told me.

"Why?! I told him not to!" I was shrieking into the phone.

"Precisely," he half-chuckled, "but we kind of need you to help get this cleaned up. There's melted plastic everywhere."

"I'll be there in one minute." I raced to their apartment door and flung it open. "Emmett! You are in so much trouble!" I screamed. He poked his head up from behind the kitchen counter, looking like a guilty child. "Why? Why would you put my Tupperware in the microwave after I specifically told you not to?" I guess I didn't realize how ridiculous I sounded, or how much like a mother I sounded, for that matter. But kitchen crimes always get me upset. And plastic in the microwave is high treason!

"I just wanted to know why I wasn't supposed to. I didn't think that it would catch fire and melt though!" Emmett looked down at the ground, like a child who knew he was in trouble.

"You couldn't ask me? Or Google it?"

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm just curious."

At that point, I had started to calm down and realized that when dealing with Emmett, it's best to really treat him like a kid. "It's okay, Em. Next time though, don't do something when I tell you not to. Let's get this cleaned up. Do you have an iron?"

"Why?" Emmett looked like he didn't even know what an iron was.

"I have one," Jasper said as he walked into his bedroom. He emerged a minute later, iron in hand. I took it from him and thanked him, and then plugged it in, in the kitchen.

"Emmett, what you're about to see will shock and amaze you," I giggled, "however, I don't trust you to do this on your own. In fact, I think I'm going to just make a list of things to not put in the microwave and why, and stick it on the fridge."

"That's a good idea," my favorite, velvet-smooth voice said from the couch.

"You should come over here, too. This'll probably be good for you to see." Honestly, I just wanted him closer to me. I hated that we were on opposite sides of the apartment. What this boy did to me just wasn't healthy. He looked at me, and I had to remind myself that I was standing next to a hot iron and needed to clean up all the melted plastic, thanks to Emmett. "Okay Emmett, watch this." I put a paper towel on the plastic and ran the iron over it. The plastic melted back onto the paper towel and I placed it on the counter. "Don't touch it," I swatted at Emmett's hand, "It's really hot." I successfully removed all the melted plastic from the microwave and surrounding countertop, amidst many oohs and ahhs from all the boys.

"Bella, you're amazing!" Emmett stared at the now clean countertop. "How did you know how to do that?"

"Growing up with Rene, I learned how to clean up most messes. She's probably the only person in the world almost as clumsy as me."

"How did you not burn the house down?" Edward teased, raising one eyebrow. I stuck my tongue out at him. I was still amazed how child-like and carefree I could be around Edward.

"So what are you kids up to tonight?" I asked them all.

"We're going to watch _Wanted_!" Emmett exclaimed. The other two looked a little confused; like they were unaware that was the plan for the night. "Will you stay and watch it with us?"

I chuckled at how excited Emmett was at the prospect of an action movie. "Sure, Em. Let me call the girls and see if they want to come over." I quickly dialed Alice and informed her of the plan. She assured me that they would be right over, and would bring some popcorn. Seconds after I hung up, I heard another phone ring. Edward read the front screen and looked a little upset.

"Excuse me for a moment," he said, shaking his head slightly, "I need to take this." He walked into his room and shut the door. I wondered who he was talking to that he would want privacy from all of us. Scratch that, he was closer to Emmett and Jasper than anyone else in the world. He didn't want privacy from them, he wanted privacy from me. I couldn't help but feel that something was off. _Relax, Bella._ I told myself. _It's not like you're dating, and he still has only known you for a few days. It's probably no big deal._ I always forgot that I hadn't known Edward for years and years; I just felt so comfortable around him all the time. Without even realizing it, I was straining to hear any of Edward's secret conversation. I was a woman obsessed.

With a "whoosh" all the air in my lungs was expelled and something large and heavy was on top of me, obstructing my view and my breathing. I soon realized this obstruction to be Emmett.

"Emmett! What the hell?!" I choked out. Why was he jumping on me when I was clearly trying to spy on Edward's strange behavior?

"Well, my dear Bellisima, you were so caught up in your own world, you didn't notice any of us in here begging you to make us popcorn!" Emmett adjusted himself so that he was now only crushing my legs, lying in my lap like an infant.

"Alice and Rose are bringing the popcorn. We have to wait for them—wait what did you mean any of us?" Just then I looked past his massive body and noticed Alice and Rosalie waving to me, cracking up along with Emmett and Jasper.

"Who knew that she would go brain dead whenever Edward left a room?" Rose let out between laughs and threw a bag of popcorn at me, waiting to be popped.

I blushed tomato red. "No, I was thinking about how different everything is from my life in Phoenix already." It was almost true—enough that I wouldn't falter over the lie. "I'm so happy I lucked out meeting you guys," I managed to say with a genuine smile. That wasn't a lie. I couldn't ask for better friends coming to college.

"Oh, Bellisima! We love you so much!" Emmett squeezed the life out of me, and before I knew it, there was a dog pile on Bella. Even Jasper jumped on, although I think it was more to please Alice than anything. Not that I felt Jasper and I didn't get along, I just hadn't bonded the way I had with the others. I hoped to be able to get to know him better—he seemed like such an awesome person. And anyone who could calm down Alice like he could, deserved my respect.

"What is going on in here?" I heard what was quickly becoming my favorite sound: Edward's voice.

"We're having a Bella pile!" Alice squealed, "Come on brotha! Jump on!" Through a crack in the pile, one eye could see Edward turn around and walk away slowly. _Thank God,_ I thought. I could not handle Edward jumping on this pile. It was already impossible to breathe. His close proximity would not help. But then, he turned around with an evil look on his face and ran at our pile, jumping on top and causing all of us to come crashing down on the floor, amidst giggles from everyone—even the boys. I felt like this was some sort of initiation, like now I was really a part of their group. It felt nice. I hadn't had to make new friends in a long time. I think I did a good job picking ones now.

"Bellisima!" I smiled at Emmett's new nickname for me. "That little romp made me HUNGRY! I think we need popcorn!"

"Yes!" Alice and Rose agreed. "And we need to see some James McAvoy ass!" Rose added.

"And Angelina!" Emmett interjected, to which everyone laughed.

I walked over to the kitchen, still giggling about my new friends. I could only imagine what sort of crazy antics would ensue with this group. After I put the popcorn in the microwave, I reached for a glass out of the cabinet to get some water. However, it seemed that there was a lack of cups in the kitchen. I opened every cabinet, but couldn't seem to find one cup. After I had just about given up my search, Edward placed a black coffee mug on the counter.

"You know, you're pretty adorable when you're focused."

"Where do you keep your mugs? I searched this whole kitchen, and nothing!" I asked, ignoring his little double-edged compliment. I was a little peeved with the slightly smug look on his face.

"We don't keep them anywhere. This one was in my room. I thought I'd let you use it. You looked so frantic, and I sort of figured out what it is you were searching for.

"Well, thanks. I'll be sure next time to look in your room for any of my kitchen needs." The timer on the microwave went off. Bowls?"

"Doesn't it come in a bag?" Edward smirked.

"Oh, Lord. We're going to need to buy you some kitchen essentials." I set the popcorn bag on the counter, and it hadn't left my hand for more than a second before Emmett snatched it off and ran to the couch. I chuckled. "Is he ever _not_ hungry?"

"When he's sleeping. Although, if he could, he would probably eat and sleep at the same time."

"That would be a feat. But if anyone were to accomplish that, it would be Emmett. Thanks for rescuing me earlier, by the way," I gestured to the couch where our friends were crammed, watching the movie intently.

"Yeah, well Alice and Emmett used to dog pile on Jasper all the time. One time they actually forced me to join in, and when they threw me on top, the whole pile toppled over. I learned that's how to stop their craziness," Edward smiled that crooked smile that made me knees weak. So that was why Jasper was so willing to join in. He was just happy to be on top of the pile instead of the bottom.

"You know," I managed to catch my breath, and regain my composure; "sometimes craziness is a good thing."

"I agree, Miss Strawberry Fight," Edward teased, remembering our picnic yesterday.

"Hey, if you don't cut that out, I won't cook for you anymore," I jokingly warned, raising one eyebrow.

"Oh no!" He threw his hand over his forehead dramatically, "Anything but that! Isabella, did I tell you that you are the most wonderful, least-crazy, best chef I know?"

"I guess I'll let it slide…this time," I smiled warmly at him. "But only because you're so great at compliments."

My mind wandered toward the lily sitting on my table at home. That was probably the best compliment I could ever get. I wondered if Edward truly though of me as the most beautiful girl in the world. He sure made me feel like it sometimes when he looked at me with those dark green eyes. I couldn't imagine him returning the feelings I had developed for him so quickly though. But could he? I thought about all the things that everyone around me was saying. I knew that he at least liked me, and genuinely enjoyed spending time with me. I was having a hard time believing that I took his breath away the way he did mine, but that was because I couldn't believe I could take anyone's breath away. Up until a few days ago, I didn't think that people actually did that, and now I refused to believe that I have that sort of power.

All this thinking about Edward and his feelings made me wonder again about that phone call. I would have to think about how to ask him—my curiosity was driving me insane. This wasn't like asking him about Kate; the phone call had nothing to do with me. Friends could ask friends who they were talking to though, right? _Oh, I sound crazy. Stop talking to yourself, Swan!_

"Don't hurt yourself, now," Edward looked at me, feigning concern.

"What are you talking about?"

"You looked like you were thinking so hard, steam was going to start blowing out of your ears."

It was now or never to ask him. I knew I had to be honest. I'm not a good liar to begin with, and it only got worse around Edward.

"Um, well, I was just thinking about you, actually." Smooth.

"Oh, really?" He looked intrigued.

_Just spit it out already._

"Well, really about your phone call earlier. I was just curious because you left the room and you shut your door and I was worried that something might be wrong or something." I spit out, way too fast. "Oh, my God. I sound like an idiot. I'm sorry," I blushed scarlet, hanging my head in shame. What was I thinking? And could I have sounded more spastic?

"Bella, don't worry about it. I realize that it probably seems like I didn't want you to hear my conversation, since I'm so close to Emmett and Jasper, but it's just that I have this weird thing about talking on the phone in front of other people. I feel like it's rude, and I don't like having to fight over background noise. Please don't think that it has to do with you. Now, let's go join our friends. They've watched half the movie without us," Edward smiled that crooked smile at me, and I melted into a puddle right where I stood.

I walked over and made myself comfortable on the floor, but Edward continued to his room. He emerged, seconds later, holding a blanket and threw a pillow at me. I noticed a few excited looks shot at me from the couch where Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper were crammed. I propped myself up on the pillow while he placed the blanket over the two of us. We watched the rest of the movie with "our friends" as Edward had put it.

After what seemed like just a minute, I felt someone gently shaking me. My eyes unwillingly fluttered open, at first seeing nothing but darkness. Once I adjusted to the dark room, I noticed Edward, only about a foot away from my face. He was the one waking me from my apparent sleep.

"Bella, I don't think you want to sleep on our floor tonight. Wake up," he gently whispered into my ear.

"Whaa?" I mumbled, not fully coherent after being woken from my slumber.

"You fell asleep during the movie. Everyone's gone to bed already, so I thought that you might want to head back home and sleep in your bed," Edward said and I could just make out a smile in the darkness.

"Mmm, I suppose, but this floor is just so comfortable," I smiled back. "What time is it?"

"A little after one. You've been out for a while. I didn't have the heart to wake you at first though; you looked so peaceful."

I was still hyperaware of how close Edward was to me, but then I realized that it was probably an hour after the movie finished, and I could only assume that everyone decided to go to bed shortly after it was over.

"So, what are you still doing up?" I questioned.

"Someone needed to wake you up, so I offered to do it. But then I decided to let you sleep. Now, though, I'm getting tired, so I figured that I should wake you up now."

"You could have just left me here and gone to bed Edward. Really, I've slept on my share of floors. My mom went through a camping phase," I thought to myself how Rene would complain that the ground was so uncomfortable; couldn't we have a bed here? And why did our tent have to be in dirt? That phase only lasted about 2 weekends. Rene needed modern luxuries.

"You're pretty entertaining when you sleep." Oh, God. I forgot that I talk in my sleep. I was beet red.

"Oh, no. What did I say?" I was terrified it was something about Edward.

"Well, you didn't want Jen to take the green Jell-o. I asked you why, and you said that without it you were unprotected from Mike. Then you said, 'Edward! Save me! He's going to make me eat Brussels sprouts! I need more Jell-o!' I can only hope that I rescued you from Newton's Brussels sprouts clutches."

"Oh, my God." If it was possible, I turned redder. At least it wasn't something like _Edward, I love you._ "I sure hope you did, too," I started, trying to regain my composure, "I hate Brussels sprouts."

"I wish my imagination was one-tenth of yours," Edward smirked.

"I'm only that inventive in my dreams, I guess. I'm not nearly that interesting in real life."

"That's true. Our classmates tend not to be vegetable-wielding villains in real life. You can cook though, and you've got pretty good taste in music. So I guess I can keep you around for a little while."

"Gee, thanks. Plus I guess you can always listen in on my dreams when you're bored. Creeper."

"All right. I'm tired of your sass. Let's get you to bed." He stood up and then scooped me so I was standing with him. God, he's so strong.

"I guess. I'll head back home now. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" I leaned in for a hug, but Edward caught my arm and stopped me.

"You don't really think I'm going to let you walk back to your apartment by yourself, do you?" I should have known better than to think Edward would let me walk anywhere alone, especially at night. I smiled at him; I was perfectly capable of walking myself home, but God forbid I walk 30 feet by myself.

"Of course not. Let's go."

Edward opened the door and led me out. He grabbed my hand and walked me to my door. We walked basically in silence; both of us were getting pretty tired. It wasn't awkward like I might have expected, though. Quite the contrary, it was really comfortable. I was happy just to be walking through the night with Edward. When we got back to my apartment, it was too soon. He turned to me at my doorstep, "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure."

"Thanks again for dinner. And popcorn. And cleaning up after Emmett."

"No prob. Thanks for making sure I made it back to my room."

"No thanks needed."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Bella."

"Bye, Edward."

What happened next was kind of out of control. We both went to kiss each other's cheeks, but we went the same direction and ended up kind of smashing our lips into one another. I, of course, blushed and pulled back a little bit, but Edward kept his hands on my waist, keeping us only inches apart.

"Sorry," I muttered, still embarrassed.

"You don't have to apologize, Isabella."

We stood for a moment, just staring into each other's eyes, before I felt mine start to close and my head lean closer to Edward. My heart was racing and I suddenly wanted to escape, afraid that he might reject me, when I felt his lips against mine. I was lightheaded and could feel the butterflies in my stomach as I snaked my arms around his neck. All too soon, we pulled away, ending the kiss.

"So, I can see you tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"Good night, Bella."

"Good night, Edward."

I went inside and closed the door quickly behind me. I then broke out into a little victory dance, assuming I was alone. What I didn't realize, though, was that the light was on, and Alice and Rose were sitting on the couch, TV on.

"Bella got kissed!" Alice squealed.

Oh, Lord. Now I'm going to have to tell them everything.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Well here it is: Chapter 12. Please let me know what you think, and don't be afriad to be brutal! A thousand thank yous to those who favorited/alerted/reviewed me or this story. Encased is my first attempt at a "lime." I'm not sure if I like it, and I may take it out in re-editing, but let me know. It's in between the asterisks (*) if that's not your bag.**

**Chapter 12: Nothing Gold Can Stay**

College was quickly becoming the easiest thing in the world for me. We had been here about two months and I was beginning to fall into a routine: wake up early so Alice could dress me, go to my morning classes, lunch with Edward, afternoon classes, dinner with the crew (which sometimes even included Angela), and a nightly movie. When we had papers to do, procrastinating in the living room or the library replaced movie time. On weekends, there was always a party that Alice knew about way before anyone else that we simply MUST attend. I was actually making a lot of friends, although our group stayed together more than anything else.

Things with Edward were getting better by the day. We still weren't officially dating, but if you asked anyone, we definitely were. He walked with me pretty much anywhere I went, we always ate together, we would meet up all the time, and we would steal kisses from each other whenever possible. All our interactions to date had been pretty PG-13, although we danced along that border into explicit material from time-to-time. Recently, our makeout sessions had gotten pretty serious, although we never got any farther than groping in our underwear.

***

Most notably was a few nights ago in his bedroom. Jasper was over at my apartment, helping Alice with her sketching class, which was really just them hooking up on the couch with a couple notepads scattered on the coffee table. That meant that Edward had his bedroom to himself, and he and I were listening to music on his bed. The night started out innocent enough, with a couple kisses in between discussing why The Beatles were quite probably the best rock band of all time, and a fiery feud about who was the better Beatle: John or Paul. In the midst of all this, "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" popped up on his iTunes. Both of us stopped fighting and immediately looked at each other with seductive smiles. Edward leaned in for a kiss, instantly deepening it by pressing his tongue against my lips, parting them. As we explored each other's mouths, our hands started to explore as well. I found my hands knotted in his hair, and his hands found my waist. We continued feeling each other's bodies, parting only for the slightest second as he pulled my shirt off, revealing a simple blue bra. His eyes grew to the size of saucers and he moved his lips down my collarbone, finishing at my left breast. He scattered kisses across the fabric and moved his left hand to take my right breast and massage it. I made quick work of pulling off his shirt, taking a minute to marvel in his exquisite body before continuing kissing him all over his face and neck. We rolled around his bed pressed against one another until we were out of breath, and then curled up together, letting "Here Comes the Sun" lull us to sleep.

***

This weekend was our turn to throw a rad party, though. Of course it was Halloween, and we were expected to throw the best costume party Washington State had seen. Alice had been planning it pretty much since we all moved in, because everything just had to be perfect. Luckily for us, the holiday fell on a Thursday, and our party was set to start around 10:30 that night. However, Alice had roped me into decorating BEFORE my 9 AM class.

"Alice, you do realize that it's a college party, and no one is going to care about decorations, right?" I whined at 8 o'clock in the morning.

"Oh, stop complaining, Bella. When people are still talking about our party during spring semester, you'll be glad that we put in this extra effort. Now, help me with these lights," Alice lectured me. Luckily, my phone rang. Jacob Black? Shouldn't he be at school now?

"Oh, Alice I have to take this. Have the guys do the lights tonight. They can actually reach the ceiling." I opened my phone, a little concerned. "Jake? Is everything okay?"

"Of course, Bells. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know, maybe because you should be in class right now?"

"What, and miss my favorite girl's first party? Nope, Quil, Embry, and I are playing hooky today and tomorrow and headed out your way."

"Oh, my God! Really, Jake? That's awesome! When are you leaving?"

"Right about now. We're just waiting for Miss Call to get all her luggage in the trunk." I heard what had to have been Embry yell "Shut up!" and a thud that was probably him hitting Jake. _Oh, high school_, I thought to myself.

"Well that's just perfect, Jake. Text me when you guys are close, and I'll let you know where to meet all of us."

"Can't wait to see you. Love ya."

"Love you too, bye!"

"Bye."

"Jacob and his friends are coming to our party tonight!" I exclaimed.

"Sweet, I gotta see if he picked up that part for me from the junkyard," Rose replied. Jacob and Rosalie had found something they had in common: cars. "Can you believe how much a carburetor costs these days? Ridiculous."

"Oh, yeah. They cost so much," I rolled my eyes; Rosalie expected everyone that she knew to be as versed in cars as she was.

"Shut up, Bella. This is for your truck. If you won't let us buy you a new car, at the very least pretend like you're interested in what's going on while I fix that ancient beast you insist on driving."

It was true. My baby was having some engine troubles that Rosalie and Edward were working on. I could only imagine that once the kids from the res got here, our curb would turn into a full-service garage. The only downside of this was that I wouldn't be able to spend as much time with Edward until my truck was fixed. No matter, though, while they worked, I got to hang out and watch trashy reality TV with Emmett, Alice, and Jasper. We all really got a kick out of the trainwreck girls and the crazy meathead guys. I liked it, too, because while I had found common ground with everyone in the group, I still felt a little more distant from Jasper. This gave me a chance to hang out with him and know him better.

I checked my phone as I got up from the table I had sat down at. It was 8:45 AM. "I have to get to class. I'll see you later today!" And with that, I hurried out the door to get to class on time. When I walked out the door, however, I ran smack into another body.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the blonde girl who I ran into apologized. She was exceptionally pretty, her hair having just a tint of red to it, and soft blue eyes. She was delicate-looking, with small features and a small frame, although she was on the taller side, probably around 5'8". "Um, you wouldn't happen to know Edward Cullen, do you?"

"It's no problem. I'm a self-proclaimed klutz myself. Yeah, I actually do know Edward. He's probably still in his apartment," I felt kind of proud to be able to tell this stranger all about Edward's habits, "Is he expecting you?" I was so intrigued. He hadn't told me that he was doing a group project or anything of that sort, but I figured that's what she must need him for.

"I'm surprising him. I'm his girlfriend."

_WHAT?! Calm down, Bella. Collect yourself._ I knew in that instant my face had betrayed me. I tried to bring my expression back down to a normal one, without a whole lot of luck. Could it be that this was Tanya the supposed, crazy ex-girlfriend? Was Edward lying to me, and they were still really dating? I was going to have to figure all this out, now. "Oh." I finally managed to get out. "Um, well, his apartment is right over there. Third door on the left." I pointed her in the right direction and turned right back into my apartment. "Guys," I said, weakly.

"Bella, are you okay?" Alice was perched on a chair trying to hang a string of orange rope lights around our living room. She jumped down and motioned for me to sit in the chair she was just using as she walked into the kitchen. "Rose, I think you need to get in here. Bella looks ill." She grabbed a mug from the cupboard and filled it with water.

"Um, does Edward have a girlfriend still?" Both their faces dropped, and they looked at each other, and then back at me, clearly confused. "I think I just met Tanya."

"Wow, Bella I don't think you realize what a loaded question that is," Alice started.

"I'm not going to class today. I want answers." I looked at both of them seriously.

"Okay. My brother is in a very delicate situation. One that you're going to have to talk to him about. I'll let you know basically what's going on, though. You'll have to get the details from Edward, though."

"I just don't understand. I mean, he told me about Tanya, but all he said was that she was just a crazy ex."

"Basically, that's true. She, um, had a hard time with accepting that Edward wanted to move away from their relationship. Basically, she's a woman obsessed."

"So, they're not actually dating then?" I was so confused; I could kill Alice for being so vague.

"See, that's where it gets complicated. In Edward's mind, he feels nothing for her, except maybe pity. But for Tanya…"

"They're still together. I understand." Ugh, dealing with Edward went from being so blissful and perfect to completely complicated in seconds. I needed to talk to him right away, but I wasn't sure if confronting him while Tanya was around was the best way to go about it. "I think I need to talk to Edward. Like, now."

"Bella, that might not be the best idea." Rosalie tried to explain to me, "Tanya's a little delusional when it comes to Edward. Blowing all this up in her face isn't going to help anyone."

"Well, what do you expect me to do? Just sit back and let Edward remember all the wonderful things about her?"

"That's not going to happen," Alice laughed softly, "He's so crazy about you, he's probably holding back from jabbing her eyes out."

"Or imagining your head on her body as she professes her undying love for him," Rose chimed in, cracking up at her own joke.

"I'm glad you guys think this is funny." I was sulking in my chair now.

"Trust me, Bella," Alice regained her composure, "Tanya Denali is nothing you need to worry about."

Rose broke in with a huge laugh. "Em just texted me: 'OMG Tanya's here! You should see Eddie right now…he's trying not to flip his shit."

I couldn't help but join in the laughter. Maybe she really was just crazy. I could definitely see how Edward could do that to someone. I was picturing Edward, always in control of the situation, having no idea what to do with himself when faced with Tanya's surprise visit.

"Okay, I HAVE to go over there," Rose exclaimed. "My dumbass of a boyfriend can't deal with this by himself. Plus, I have to see all this for myself."

My face fell a little bit. I was so angry that Rosalie was allowed to go be with Edward when I couldn't. I knew that as innocent as it would look to Tanya, it would put him into an unnecessarily complicated situation.

"Don't worry, Bella, I know Rosalie will do some recon for you." Alice gave her an angry glare for just a second, "Hey, how about we go get some Starbucks. I think an espresso brownie will do wonders for you right now."

"Shouldn't you be going to class?" I asked Alice, silently wishing that she would hang out with me instead of going.

"I have History of Fashion at 10. Please, you'll be doing me a favor by giving me a reason to skip class. There's only so much I can take about powdered wigs before I stab myself with my pen."

We all giggled; I was feeling a little better already. And I knew that being with Alice would help me forget all about the Edward situation—at least for now.

I walked to Starbucks with my pint-sized roommate, bundled up in a coat; I was beginning to hate Washington again, now that it was getting cold. When we got into the coffee shop, Alice insisted on buying my vanilla latte and espresso brownie, and we curled up into a couple overstuffed chairs in the corner.

"So, when is Jake getting here?" Alice asked me.

"Um, I'm not sure, probably around dinnertime. I think I'm going to make a giant lasagna tonight for everyone." I replied. I was actually really looking forward to cooking tonight; it would be a good distraction to everything that was going on. Ugh, I was dying to talk to Edward and figure all this out.

"Oh, that sounds so good. Can we have garlic bread, too?"

"Sure." I laughed. I still didn't understand how someone so small could have such an appetite all the time.

"Okay. So I need to talk to Sam and find out when he's bringing the keg. And we still need to get ping-pong balls and cups. Are you going to your other class today?"

"Yeah, I have Psych at 1:25. We can go to the store and get that stuff whenever though."

"It's okay, I'll just have Jazzy pick it up when he goes on his liquor run. He 'won't waste time fighting over cheap beer at my girlfriend's party.'"

"How's he getting liquor?" I didn't think that Jasper had a fake ID.

"His friend, Peter from one of his classes, is 21 and said that he would go on a run with him. He'll be there tonight and bringing a bunch of upperclassmen! Bella, this party has to be perfect. I refuse to go down in WSU history as the freshmen who threw a lame Halloween party!" Alice looked stressed and exasperated.

"Al, breathe." I curled up into my chair a little more and sipped on my drink, "I'm sure our party is going to be amazing. If anyone knows parties it's, Alice Cullen, right?"

"I guess you're right. I'm just nervous. I mean, with all the people we usually party with, it would be no big deal, but now, there's like seniors coming and I don't want to look like an idiot freshman who doesn't know what she's doing."

"Do you want to go back to the apartment and put up some streamers or something?" I asked, trying to be helpful.

"Isabella, streamers are _so_ passé," Alice exclaimed as she rolled her eyes at me.

"Well, sorry!" I joked back. "Seriously, though. Let's go watch some Barefoot Contessa or something. I'm done with this brownie and I don't want to hang out here all morning."

Alice looked up at me from her phone as I said this, no longer laughing. In fact, she seemed a little panicked.

"Um, how good do you think your acting can be?"

"Not great. You know that, Alice. Why?"

"Well, apparently, Tanya's quite excited for the party tonight. Edward's silently having a panic attack, and Rose and Emmett are just beside themselves holding in laughter."

"How the FUCK does she know about the party?" Alice started to open her mouth to answer me, but I stopped her, "Let me guess, a certain bear of a man couldn't keep his damn mouth shut for ten minutes? Ugh, how am I supposed to deal with her in my apartment? She can't come. She just can't."

"Well, obviously, Bella. None of us would dream of putting you in that sort of situation, complicated as Edward's life is. But we need to get her out of here, and soon. So we were thinking about telling her that there's a really strict guest policy and that she won't be able to stay without any of us getting written up or something."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with my acting skills? Why doesn't Rose just tell her that?"

"Edward's having a conniption right now, and we think the only way he'll be able to calm down is if you're around. So do you think that you'll be able to pretend that you haven't been sleeping with my brother for two months?"

"Alice! You know Edward and I haven't slept together! We're not even officially dating."

"Yes, but whenever you two are in the same room together, you look at each other like you're mentally undressing each other constantly. That won't help the Tanya freak out."

"Okay, can I text Edward and let him know I'm coming? Because I know he'll be the one freaking out if I just show up unannounced."

"Yeah, yeah. Hurry up though. I wanna get over there and see all this for myself."

"You sound like Rose." I pulled my phone from my bag and found Edward's number.

_Hey. I'm heading over with Alice. I know all about everything mostly so don't freak out. We're gonna get her out of there _

Wow, that sounded a lot more confident than I felt. I had to get a grip because I wasn't sure just how nuts this girl was about Edward. I mean, she seemed normal enough, but she was pretty deluded into thinking that they were still dating.

"Okay, I'm ready to go," I told Alice, and we made our way to the apartment.

We got close to their front door, and I heard sobs, getting progressively louder. I let Alice open the door, trying not to look too comfortable in the apartment I had spent most of my time in these last two months.

"Heeey Tanya," Alice said slowly, clearly trying to get a handle on the situation. I, personally, had to stifle back laughter at the sight of the living room. Rosalie and Emmett were on the armchair, falling into each other, trying not to laugh. Tanya was standing dead in the center of the room, tears streaming down her face, hyperventilating and looking back between Edward and Alice and me. Edward was sitting on the couch, looking utterly confused at the whole situation. Either he didn't get my text, or he was a really, really good actor. I was thinking it was the former. A string of profanities went through my mind as I tried to avoid eye contact with the guy that I've been seeing since school started. I reminded myself to just keep calm, and we could get everything under control quickly.

"Hi Ally-Pop!" Tanya replied, and I heard a laugh escape the armchair that I knew to be Rose's. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Alice cringe at the nickname.

"Tan, what's wrong?"

"Eddie's saying that I can't stay here tonight. But I want to go to the party!"

"Well, he's right, actually. WSU has a really strict guest policy. Ever since there was a fight brought on by a couple kids who didn't go here like the second weekend of school, all guests that stay past midnight have to be signed in at least a week in advance. Right, Bella?"

"Yeah," I managed not to stammer. Jeez, I was really getting used to being prepared for anything with this group. I quickly made the decision that I would flex my, albeit poor, acting skills a little bit before anyone else said another word. "I'm actually an RA here, and it would be putting my job in jeopardy if I knew that you were staying on campus and you weren't a student. I'm really sorry." My lie sounded a lot more convincing than I thought it would.

"R-really?" Tanya looked like she was about to explode into tears, "But he's my _boyfriend!_ Can't you make an exception just this once? I miss him so much and I wanted to surprise him! If I had known I would have called first!"

I faltered, and had no idea how to deal with that. I opened and closed my mouth a couple times to try and find words, but to no avail. Edward piped in and saved me at the last second.

"Tanya, we really shouldn't push Bella. I know that she would love to help, but she's just trying to do her job. It's not fair to drag her into a situation where she would get into trouble. What if we went to dinner tonight and then you can go see your aunt and uncle in Spokane?"

"Okay," she finally resigned, smearing her mascara as she tried to dry her eyes with the back of her hand. "Only because I would hate for my boo to get into trouble, and any of his…" she looked me up and down with a slight air of disgust, "friends."

"Please don't call me that," Edward sighed. "Now, you've had an eventful morning, and I have class soon, so why don't you take a nap in my room and I'll meet you back here a little later."

"That sounds good. Can you show me your room?" Her blonde curls bounced as she giggled following him into the bedroom. I wanted to kill her in that instant.

Edward walked out and asked me to get lunch with a whisper, and I nodded in agreement.

We walked to a little sandwich shop just off campus, and Edward, ever the gentleman, insisted on buying my sandwich and explaining everything.

"So, what do you know already? I'm guessing Alice told you most of it, since you handled yourself pretty well," he said.

"Yeah, I guess. Tanya's your ex-girlfriend who is actually insane, thinks you guys are still dating, and now thinks I'm an RA here. That's about the gist of it, right?"

"Did you come up with the RA thing, or was that the girls? Because it was brilliant."

"That was me. I figured she wouldn't be swayed by a bunch of regular students, so I decided to give myself a little power."

"So devious." He smiled that crooked grin that drives me wild, so I had to redirect the conversation back to the Tanya issue.

"Okay, but Tanya. So you guys broke up, right? Why is it that you play along with this façade? I know that it probably makes sense to you, but to me it's just fueling the fire."

"Tanya's story is pretty tragic. I don't know if it's right for me to tell you, but I feel like you deserve to know all about my baggage, and she's part of it. Near the start of our sophomore year of high school, Tanya's father left with another woman. It was really hard for her. She was always Daddy's Little Girl, and when he moved to Seattle with a girl 20 years younger than him, essentially Tanya's own age, it crushed her. She was in a really bad place, and in a small town, word travels fast. Everyone knew all about it and instead of rallying around her, a lot of people ignored her, or worse, talked about it behind her back. Our group really felt bad for her, and since Emmett and Kate were friends, we pulled Tanya into the group.

"Apparently, she took a liking to me. I had no idea for about a year, until Alice started talking about winter formal our junior year. Obviously Rose and Emmett were going together, Alice and Jasper were paired up, and Garrett and Kate were coming in our limo. That left Tanya and I dateless. Alice suggested that I take her, and I figured it was pretty harmless—we had been friends for a while. Well, over some time, it went from us just being formal dates to us dating. She is a really sweet girl, but she definitely never dealt with her issues with her dad. Instead, she projected all the insecurities about her dad leaving onto me. Her mom tried to get her into therapy and work out the issues logically and rationally, but she refused to go.

"Once senior year started to wind down, and she was going to U Dub and we were coming here, I tried to break things off with her. That just ended up upsetting her, and her telling me that I was leaving her just like her father. She was not giving up, and convinced herself that we were staying together and going to get married. All summer I tried to get her to see reason, but she just wasn't having it. Eventually, Jasper made her understand that there was a chance that we wouldn't get married and that she would find someone down the road. I guess, though, she still thinks that for now, we're still together."

"Wow. That's pretty nuts." I was at a loss for words. I wanted to be so mad at her, but I just couldn't. Her story made me want to cry. I knew that Tanya definitely needed help, but it was going to be difficult to get it for her. The only thing I could think of was institutionalizing her, but that seemed really drastic. Was Edward worth all this trouble? I mean, he was practically perfect, but this was a lot of baggage to deal with. I wasn't sure if I was ready to sign up for that. At the same time, though, I felt like I couldn't just abandon him. He's been through so much in his life already, and he needs to know that people aren't just going to give up on him. "This sounds unreal; I'm not going to lie."

"I know. And I wish I could tell you it is just a story. But dealing with Tanya is just one of the things I have to do. I understand completely if it's too much for you to handle. I just want to be honest with you about everything. I'm sorry that I wasn't upfront about all this from the beginning. I just liked you a lot and didn't want to scare you away right off the bat."

"Stop apologizing for everything, Edward. You're right, this is a lot to take in, but I'm not just going to go running screaming for the hills. Plus, maybe seeing that you have a new life here is good for her. Maybe she'll realize that there's really nothing between you two anymore." I was trying to remain calm because I knew that Edward was going crazy and I didn't want to add to that, but it was hard. I let my rational side take over and tried to keep my heavy emotions out of it.

"I hope so." Edward grabbed my hands and put them in his, his expression suddenly changing from distraught to, nervous? I wasn't sure what he had to be nervous about, but he stared into my soul with those green eyes of his. "Bella, I want you to know that spending time with you over the last couple months has meant a lot to me. I've wanted you to be my girlfriend probably since I almost ran over you with my car, but this whole Tanya mess has kept me from acting on it. I do want to end things more finally with her before I start anything new with you, but I want you to know what I'm thinking, and I don't want you thinking I'm just dragging you around with no intention of ever taking things farther. I know that it's selfish, but I want to ask you to wait for me."

"I really appreciate your honesty, Edward, and I want to help out any way I can." I could feel my emotions bubbling up, about to explode everywhere. I didn't care, though. I wanted Edward to know just how much he meant to me. "I'd always wait for you, although, I hope that it won't be too much longer." I couldn't help but laugh a little, and his melodic chuckle joined in with mine.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm a terrible person for keeping this from you for so long…I doubt anyone still cares what's going on in this little story of mine. Inspiration was gone for a long, long time, but I think that the onset of Halloween in the real world helped me figure it out. So, after much toiling, here's Chapter 13…**

**Chapter 13: Halloween is Scary Again**

I was pacing in my room. The girls, along with Emmett and Jasper were setting up in the living room for the party. I couldn't get my mind off the fact that right now, Edward and Tanya were off on a date somewhere. "Why did she get to go on a date with him?" I muttered to myself as I dug a hole in the carpet as I passed my bed back and forth. "Edward wants ME to be his girlfriend, not her! It's not fair!" I sounded like a five-year-old, but I didn't care. Edward made me crazy. In a good way, though. In the, I want you all to myself way. Not the, I can see the little green men racing me on the sidewalk way.

"Bellisima!" Emmett bellowed his nickname for me. "Come out here! I won't have my favorite girl in the world hiding away on Halloween!" Then a thud. "Ouch! Rosie, you know what I meant!"

"Thanks, but I'd rather suffer in silence." The pacing continued.

"I will NOT let my idiot brother's problems ruin your day or my party. Now get out here!" Alice sounded terrifying in that moment, but I held out. All of a sudden, I heard booming footsteps and my door fly open. Damn my lack of foresight for not locking the door. In one fell swoop, Emmett had me thrown over his shoulder and carried me out to the couch and dropped me onto the cushions.

"Ow!" My head hit the arm of the couch, which was not as soft as one might expect, "Emmett, was that necessary?"

"Sorry, Bells, but I would punt Tanya over a fence if it meant that she ruined your day. And I'll do the same to you if you let her! Argh, I can't stand her!"

"The whole 'obsessed with Edward' thing kind of freaks him out," Rosalie explained. "Frankly, I don't know why he still likes you, Bella." She gave a wicked smile, and I threw a pillow at her.

For the first time since I got back from my afternoon class, when the living room was a disarray of lights, centerpieces, and costume pieces, I looked around the apartment. Orange and white rope lights hung from the ceiling in scalloped patterns. On the wall was a giant spider web with a glittery black spider placed slightly off-centered. Two blacklights were on opposite walls, off for now, but clearly would be turned on later in the night. There were bags of black and orange Solo cups on the clothed table, ready to serve the beer housed in the keg taking up residence in our kitchen. I was amazed at what Alice had done in such a short period of time, although I shouldn't have been. She was currently perched on the dining room chair, a knife digging into a pumpkin, carefully carving out a skull design that she no doubt got off a Martha Stewart website or something.

"Alice, this place looks amazing," I said, still in awe of my surroundings.

"Yeah, don't worry, we couldn't have used your help or anything," Rose chided.

"Sorry guys, I feel really bad. I wish I helped out now. Can we take pictures of this before the college party undoubtedly runs its course and ruins it?"

"Not until you change into this," Alice thrust a garment bag at me, with what I knew was going to be some tiny costume that would make me uncomfortable all night, and have Mike trying to get me to show him my room. I warily unzipped the bag, but my expression changed the instant I took in the outfit. I had thrown $50 at Alice about 2 weeks before and told her to pick out any Halloween costume she wanted. She chose for me an Elvis costume. It was still pretty sexy, a studded jumpsuit with a plunging neckline almost down to my bellybutton. Crisscrossing over the neckline, a string was laced up. The jumpsuit itself was sleeveless, but came with a jacket. The whole thing had rhinestones and jewels everywhere. In a separate bag were gold pumps and gold-framed sunglasses. It was amazing, and I couldn't have asked for a better college Halloween debut. I turned around to hug Alice.

"It's perfect! I love it!" I exclaimed.

"Knew you would," was all she said with a smile.

Rosalie turned to Emmett, "Babe, it's already 9:00. You guys should probably go get showered and changed so you can some back and we can pregame a little bit before people get here."

"Okay Rosie," I felt like Rose was going to have the sexiest costume alive with the way that he eyed her up and down as she told him the plan.

"Oh my God, it's 9?" I suddenly remembered Jacob and the Rez boys. They were supposed to be here like 2 hours ago. "Jacob's not here yet. They should have made it by now. I need to call him." I pulled my phone out of my pocket, found him in my contacts, and hit send. Jacob answered on the second ring.

"Guys shut up I can't hear! Ouch! Quil turn down the music, I can't hear! Oh, Hey Bells, what's up?"

"Where are you guys?" I asked, still not sure how I should be feeling; it sounded like everything was fine.

"Oh we're like 20 minutes out." Just like a boy to be vague and give no explanation as to why they were late.

"I was just expecting you guys earlier."

"Yeah, well we got a flat and then hit some traffic. It's all good though."

"All right, well I'll see you soon. Oh! Did you get the part for my car? Rose was asking about it earlier."

"Yup. The carb's in the back. See you in a few!"

"Bye, Jake."

"Bye."

Whew! One crisis averted. The Rez boys were safe and sound…if only until the drinking binge began. I made my way into my bedroom and changed into the costume, which fit like a glove. Alice called me into the bathroom and I knew that it was time for hair and makeup. I was getting too used to this treatment—I'll have to become an actress so I can keep living the high life.

"Bella, I want to talk to you a little bit about Edward," Alice started.

"Did he call you or something? Is he on his way back yet?" I wanted to vomit almost as soon as I responded. I was really starting to sound insane—something that needed to be remedied. Edward was amazing, that was to be sure, but I didn't want to be the girl that was dependent on a man. I had never really bothered with relationships before. That was mostly because school and trying to get away for college was the most important thing to me, but also I've always been pretty independent. Constantly thinking about Edward couldn't be good for me.

"Well that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. I mean, he's my brother, and I love you to death, so naturally I would love nothing more than to see you together…" she paused, trying to figure out how to form her next thought, "But don't you think that your feelings are developing kind of fast? You guys really haven't known each other long. I just don't want to see either of you miss out because you're so obsessed with each other." She giggled a little bit at the way she ended her speech.

I couldn't help but find hypocrisy in her words, as much as I agreed with the core of what she was saying. "Wait, _you're_ the one telling me this? Didn't you just kind of, set your sights on Jasper and decide that you were soul mates? And weren't you the one telling me how Edward was completely in love with me the day I met him?"

"Firstly, I was just noting how Edward was completely infatuated with you the second he laid eyes on you. I didn't expect it to get so serious so quickly. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just that my brother can be really intense. I would hate it if you two ended up rejecting the outside world in order to live in your own.

"And secondly," she continued before I could interject, "I don't know what Edward told you about Jasper and me, but we didn't just jump into being in love at 15. I mean, yeah, we have been pretty inseparable since, but we have a good balance: we know how to take time for ourselves. That's why Jasper's with his friend Peter right now, and not hovering here."

"You're right. I don't know what it is, but I just get a little nuts when it comes to your brother. I do need to tone it down though…if for nothing but stopping myself from coming on too strong."

"Honey, that ship has already sailed. Luckily for you, you're both crazy-infatuated." We both chuckled a bit and as she finished getting me ready we changed the subject to more light-hearted conversation.

After all of us were in costume: Alice as Tinkerbelle with Jasper as Peter Pan, Rosalie as Hugh Hefner—clad in pretty much just a mid-thigh length silk robe and some heels and Emmett as a giant rabbit, or "bunny," we took pictures of ourselves and the "before" pictures of the party. We set up the beer pong table and played a couple games before people started to show up. Surprisingly, I'd become pretty decent; a far cry from where I was at the beginning of the year.

Before I knew it the party was in full swing and I had almost completely forgotten about Edward. Jake and the Rez boys were taking full advantage of the "inexperienced high schooler" routine on the beer pong table and were currently running the show. I got tons of compliments on my costume, and there were upperclassmen that I was introduced to. I was a huge fan of Jasper's friend Peter and his girlfriend, Charlotte. They were seniors, Peter from Atlanta and Charlotte a San Diego native. They initially bonded over their love for travel, and through their four years together managed to go to London, Mexico, Costa Rica and were planning a trip to Brazil over Spring Break.

"Costa Rica is the most amazing place in the world, Bella" Charlotte was telling me. "We met so many cool people there and while we were in Santa Theresa we met a restaurant owner who closes his restaurant every day just to go surfing for like 2 hours."

"Wow, really?" I was so intrigued. Traveling has always been something I want to devote a good amount of my life to. "That sounds so cool. I definitely want to go to Costa Rica eventually."

"Bella," Alice pulled me out of the conversation, "we need you." She was really serious and I knew something was wrong. In that instant, I realized that Edward still wasn't at the party.

"Is everything okay?" I barely got the words out as concern choked my throat.

"Tanya's not taking things well. Apparently Edward decided that it was a good time to 'break up' with her again. She threw a fit in the restaurant and drove off. Unfortunately, now we can't find her, Edward feels like shit and is going crazy trying to find out if she's okay, and Rose and Emmett are so wasted they've already passed out. Jazzy and I have been trying to figure this out on our own, but we're not doing so well."

"Okay, so let's try to figure this out. Where's Edward?" I tried my best to remain calm. We have a missing girl who should probably be on suicide watch, a passed out drunk roommate and the biggest Halloween party on campus raging in our apartment. Awesome.

"He's driving around trying to call her and find her."

I didn't understand why I felt this responsibility to this girl who was really nothing to me except a hindrance to my happiness. Half of me wanted to say screw it, she's gone and not our problem anymore, but the other half knew that we couldn't just forget about it. She clearly was in a vulnerable state and needed help from someone.

"Okay, well he's probably not going to find her. I'll call him and tell him to go back to the apartment. We'll try to work stuff out there. Jake will hold down our apartment and Angela will definitely help. I'm sure Peter and Charlotte will look out too. There's no sense in ruining everyone's night by sending them all home now." I really hoped that we could find her and get her calmed down.

"That sounds good. Ugh I could KILL Rosalie and Emmett right now. She would probably answer Emmett's phone call. She really looked up to him like an older brother because he was really protective of her in high school."

"Alice, you're a genius!" I exclaimed as I was pulling Edward up in my recent contacts. "Go grab Emmett's phone out of Rose's room and call Tanya from there. Hopefully she'll pick up and you can at least figure out where she is."

"Oh! What a great idea, Bell!" She ran off to go fish through Emmett's bunny costume for his phone.

I only had to wait one ring for Edward to pick up. "Bella, are you okay? I'm sorry I'm not at the party. A lot has gone down in the last few hours."

"I'm fine, and I heard. I don't want you driving while you're so frantic right now though, so come back to campus and we'll set up an Operation: Tanya Control Center in your living room. We have a plan that I'm really hoping will work." I figured I would explain everything later, and hopefully we will have found Tanya by the time he got home.

"Okay, I trust you. I'm not far. I'll meet you there in about 15."

"Be safe."

"I will." And with that we hung up. I went to find Alice who was furiously banging on our bedroom door.

"The door's locked. And they're definitely asleep. I've tried calling both of them…nothing."

"Shit." I couldn't even figure out what else to say, let alone formulate a new plan without Emmett's invaluable cell. I shook my head trying to collect my thoughts. "Okay. Let me figure this out." I was coming up blank though. A giant string of profanities coursed through my brain. I just wanted this girl out of my life, not to try and rescue her off the streets.

I had all but given up hope when I heard a bear yawn from behind the door. I slammed my palms as hard as I could against the door. "Emmett! Open this god-damned door!" After a minute of shuffling, a half bunny-clad Emmett cracked the door open.

"We need your phone and then you can go back to sleep." Alice said quickly, holding her small hand out.

I walked away, looking for Jacob, Quil, and Embry. They had since been thrown off the beer pong table, but were still nearby getting into the game in front of them.

"Jacob," I rushed over to him, "can you hold down the apartment for a while? We need to go handle something." He immediately sensed the worry in my voice.

"What's going on? And of course I'll watch over everything." In that moment, he looked 10 years my senior, instead of the kid that was still in high school. I quickly told him what was going on and that I would explain fully later. I could tell that this was exactly the kind of thing he was worrying about with Edward. "He had a girlfriend all this time?" The stern look almost scared me.

"No, Jake. I really can't go into all the details right now, but I promise I'll explain tomorrow." Alice was waving at me to get going, "I really have to go. If you need anything, talk to Angela or Peter. Tell them we had to take care of some stuff and all of you are in charge in our absence. Hopefully I'll be back soon." I reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

He grabbed me by the waist, "Please be careful, Bells."

I hurried out the door with Alice and Jasper. She was dialing Tanya's number with little success. We practically sprinted into the boys' apartment, a mix of adrenaline and the chilly October air. Tanya's phone was still ringing, which we knew to be positive, because that meant that she hadn't turned it off. I made some coffee all of us. As sobering as the situation was, I figured it couldn't hurt to be perfectly clear-minded. Just as I was emerging from Edward's room to grab the mug I knew was always in there (I had finally convinced them to keep 3 in the kitchen, but Edward always had one by his bed), he walked through the door.

"So what's this plan you have?" He looked too serious. It wasn't my joking, carefree Edward anymore.

"It's gone to shit. We figured Tanya might answer Emmett's call. Of course, he's passed out drunk so we got his phone and Alice has been calling. But she's not answering, so it's not really working out. Isn't there anyone who she'll listen to?" I really just wanted to find this girl and get her out of my hair. As heartless as it sounded, I hated that she was ruining my Halloween.

Edward grabbed my hand and led me to the couch. "Sit. Relax. This shouldn't even be your problem, Bella. I'm so sorry."

"I hate when you apologize for everything all the time. If I didn't want to help my friends, I would've stayed at my party." I was crazy about Edward, but it really irritated me when he tried to take responsibility for everything.

He went into the kitchen and poured the coffee, handing it first to Alice and me then Jasper who up till now I had forgotten was in the room; he was silently massaging Alice's shoulders as she was visibly stressed. As Edward sat down next to me, I instinctively curled into his side even if I was a little bit mad at him. Alice turned the TV on and sighed, saying, "Well, what are we gonna do now?"

"I definitely don't want to talk to her mom. All it will do is worry her." Edward responded.

"Yeah," I interjected, "but maybe she'll answer her mom's call. Or maybe she's already called her mom. I know if I was upset that would be the first person I'd call."

"Bella has a good point, Edward. You're right though, her mom wouldn't be able to stay rational long enough to help us out." I could see the wheels turning in Alice's head, looking for another option. I had started to give up on being helpful. My mind was wandering, although it was still Tanya-centered. I mused on the weird buildup to my actual first meeting with Tanya, to the breakdown I witnessed in this very living room, to Edward's telling of her sad, sad story. I found it hard to believe that the only people who would look out for her well-being were in this room, or asleep in the apartment.

"Kate." It was the first word Jasper had said since everything had gone down. At first I was confused, but suddenly it made sense to me. Edward had told me that Kate was Tanya's sister. Why had no one thought about this earlier?

"Emmett doesn't have Kate's number in his phone," Alice said as she was scrolling through his contacts.

"Does he have Garrett's?" Jasper asked. Suddenly it was like the two of them were the only ones in the room. Even though they were just trying to get a hold of Tanya, it seemed like in the midst of it they were having a private moment. They locked eyes and were having a wordless conversation, about what I would never know. Alice broke only to look at Emmett's contacts long enough to find Garrett's number and dial it. Since they seemed to be handling that, I focused my attention on Edward.

"How are you doing?" I asked him. He looked slightly more serene now than he did upon first walking in, but he definitely wasn't calmed down yet.

"I'm fine," he sighed out.

"Don't lie to me." I knew exactly what he was trying to do. "Cut the 'I don't want to worry you with my problems' crap. You said you wanted me to be your girlfriend, right? This is what girlfriends do. Deal with it." I felt bold, bolder than I ever had. Maybe Alice was getting me out of my shell and making me confident. Damn, I wonder when she'll figure out she was right.

"Fine. I'm pissed off. I'm mad at Tanya for running off, I'm mad at her dad for making her like this, I'm mad that I didn't end things with her more finally before, and I'm mad at myself for everything that's happening right now," Edward exhaled all in one breath.

"Was that so hard?" I teased, poking him in the side.

"You have no idea."

"So what was it that made you decide to 'break up' with Tanya for good this time?" I emphasized with air quotes. After everything I'd heard today, this was really the one thing that made the least sense to me.

"Oh I don't know. It just seemed like a good idea. In hindsight, I guess it wasn't." He looked around the room for a minute, but at what I wasn't sure. Maybe he was just thinking. He continued, "I mean, I was tired of this charade, and I thought that being blunt would be the best approach. And like you said," he flashed me a small smile, "I want you to be my girlfriend." Edward laced his fingers through mine and brought our hands up to his lips, kissing the back of mine. In that moment, I forgot all about Tanya and the search, the party back at our apartment, and even that I still looked like Elvis. Nothing mattered to me except what was going on in that instant. In all the chaos that surrounded us, I felt completely safe. As if life knew that things were too perfect, I heard our names being shouted from across the room.

"Bella, Edward, let's go. We got her. She's not far, although I guess she decided that driving back across the state was a good idea right now." Jasper looked completely exasperated as he told us this. I could tell that he wanted to be anywhere but here right now, but wouldn't bail on Edward or Alice.

"You should stay," Edward said to me. Before I could protest, he went on, "Even though I want you to come, I think that it would just make the situation that much worse. I promise that we'll keep you updated."

"Okay." I knew that I would be arguing a moot point. As much as I wanted to be there, there was no way that my presence would help calm Tanya down—in fact I was sure just the opposite would happen.

"My car's on the street," Edward directed his attention toward the other two people in the room. Turning back to me he said, "Let's go. I'm still going to walk you to your door," and kissed me on the cheek with a smile.

We quickly made our way back to my apartment door and he pulled me into him kissing me as our bodies almost melted together. "Be safe." I half-whispered to him.

"I'll try to be back soon," he said, squeezing my hand before he rushed off to catch up with Alice and Jasper. He looked back over his shoulder, "Try to have a good time without me!"

"Well that'll be easy," I retorted. But in my head, this night had been too much of a mess for me to go back into the party like everything was fine. I turned the knob and went in to find Jacob.

"Oh good, you're back," Angela hugged me excitedly. I could tell that she was pretty drunk, but the good thing about Ange was that even when she got drunk she was still pretty level-headed, just slightly more enthusiastic. It seemed like everything was going well. I ran into Peter who told me that there was a little incident with a couple guys getting rowdy, but he and the Rez boys booted them quickly. With nothing else for him to report, I decided that getting my buzz back might not be a terrible idea. I figured that Edward wouldn't really be texting me while they were with Tanya, so something should occupy my time. It might as well be booze and good company.

As I made my way over to the keg, I heard someone yell, "Keg's empty!" Well, shit. I guess there goes that plan. What time was it? I checked and realized that it was already 1:30. I guess with all the drinking games and people going in and out, it wasn't that big of a surprise. Well, at least good company was still on the list. I looked over heads to find Jacob. Sure enough he was leaning against a wall with Embry and Quil, who had a bunch of girls fawning all over them. They looked like they were in heaven.

"Don't make me tell Jen what's going on here," I joked, making my way through the gaggle of my classmates.

Jake wrapped his arms around me, "Nah, you're the only girl who could steal me away." I could tell that he was wasted. I was just glad that he was being all lovey-dovey to me while my best friend/his pseudo-girlfriend was in Arizona. It would have been the cherry on top of a crappy night to see him flirting with other girls; even though I knew he would never do anything with them.

"Bella, why do you sound so sober?" Embry asked me, sounding eerily innocent.

"Because I am. I haven't been at the party for like, an hour and a half. Thanks for noticing." As soon as my words registered, Embry had me thrown over his shoulder, parading me through the party.

"My dear friend Bella is sober in her own apartment! We need to fix this immediately!" he shouted to anyone that would listen, and even those who wouldn't. As he set me down near the kitchen, Peter walked over to me.

"I'm gonna collect some money and then do a beer run," he told me.

"Cool. How much do you want?" I responded.

"Oh. No, you don't have to pay. Everyone drank the beer that you pitched in on. This one's on us."

"Thanks."

"No prob. See ya soon."

Peter left to go hit up party guests for money, and I hopped onto the kitchen counter to hang out for a minute. My cell phone buzzed in the gold clutch sitting next to me on the counter.

_She's in a rest stop off the freeway. I feel like I'm in a scary movie right now. –E_

I answered him right away:

_Creepy. Please be careful. Text me when you get a chance._

_Will do. By the way, I never got to tell you…you're the sexiest Elvis I've ever seen._

_Stop it…I'm going to blush._

_Oh shit. Things aren't good. I'll text you later._

**A/N: I know, I suck for waiting months to post and then leaving you with a cliffhanger. But I promise that I'm actively working on this story again. So if you haven't given up on me completely yet, thank you and I hope you like where I'm headed. Please let me know what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Wow, I've finally found my way back to the fanfic world. If anyone is still out there, I hope you enjoy! I'm hoping to actually do some damage to this story in the next few weeks so updates will hopefully be more often than once every year+. Here we get to see some more people outside "The group." Some limeade at the end of the chapter (between the asterisks :)). No rounding home base quite yet chickadees! Review, let me know that y'all are still out there, and if I'm doing anything right.**

**Chapter 14: Breaking Up and Breaking In**

I couldn't believe the text. A thousand things ran through my mind at once, and I had no idea what to do with any of them. Part of me was stressed that something happened to Edward. Another part knew that Alice and Jasper could be in danger even though they really had nothing to do with all this. And I was stuck doing nothing, surrounded by drunk people while I was sober.

Peter had since come back with a few 30-packs, but the party had begun to die down. I again decided that hanging out with my friends that were safe in the apartment was a better idea than my first instinct-lock myself in my room and panic until Edward called again. I grabbed a beer and sat down by the coffee table, where Jake, Quil, Embry, Peter, and Charlotte were playing King's Cup. In an effort to help me forget about the craziness, and because the rest of them were completely hammered, the goal of every game was to make me as drunk as possible.

I felt the buzz come back, and I could finally allow myself to stop worrying so much. I still had no idea what was going on, but I couldn't do anything about it, so I just let it go. Edward would call when he could. I looked around the apartment. No real damage, but there would be a lot of cleaning up to do in the morning. Almost everyone had left, except those of us playing flip cup and Angela, who had fallen asleep in one of the armchairs.

"...go swimming?" I caught the tail-end of Jacob's sentence, and it forced me to pay attention.  
"What did you say, Jake?" I asked.

"I asked if anyone else really wants to go swimming. But I meant, not swimming, exactly, but I wanna get into a hot tub!" He stumbled through an almost-coherent sentence.

"We don't have a hot tub. We're at my school, remember?"

"Well, actually, there's a motel like a mile away. I think they have one," Charlotte chimed in. "That sounds like it would be super fun."

My rational side took over, "Isn't that breaking and entering? I don't want this night to be any more trouble than it already is."

"Oh, come on, lighten up," now Quil was giving me grief, "It'll be awesome. Don't you want to show us high school kids they many benefits of college life?"

"I don't know, it sounds like a bad idea," I heard myself say, but I could feel my resolve wavering.

"Pleeeeeaaaaaaase, Bella?" Jacob whined. Damn, I couldn't say no to Jake.

"Fine. But we're walking there. Nobody can drive right now."

"Well, duh." Charlotte giggled.

I shook Angela awake and told her she could sleep in my bed. She groggily trudged off into the bedroom, which Emmett and Rose had thankfully left unlocked this time.

The boys grabbed some shorts and I gave Charlotte my extra swimsuit to change into, as well as some sweats for us so we wouldn't freeze too much, and we set off into the cold. On the way, Peter explained how we don't feel cold because of our "booze blanket" and how it's probably like, 40 degrees outside but we don't even realize it. We finally made it to the motel, a cheap little hole-in-the wall place, with some guy who appeared to be in his late 20s manning the front desk. We snuck around through the back and hopped over the fence guarding the pool area. Well, they hopped. I fell. Luckily, Quil was standing right there and caught me before I dove face-first into concrete. Charlotte, who had the wonderful foresight to pack beers in her purse, handed them out to us as we jumped into the hot water. We tried to stay quiet, but I quickly learned that Jacob completely loses control of his voice volume when he drinks. We all laughed together as they shared stories of what had gone on at the party while I was gone. Apparently, Jake and Quil actually hustled Eric and Mike out of $20.

"Guys, that's terrible. You can't be exploiting my classmates," I half-lectured.

"Well, you can't totally blame us. It's not like we suggested it," Quil interjected.

"Yeah!" Jake half-shouted, "They told us they wanted to make our game more interesting. What were we gonna say? No?"

I chuckled. "Fair enough. But try not to make a habit of it. How did you get so good at beer pong anyway?"

"Seriously, I never thought that I'd have to beat some high-schoolers in overtime!" Peter exclaimed.

"There's lots of down-time on the rez," Jacob explained. "Plus, it's not like we're really driving much of anywhere for parties, so our folks are a lot more lenient. Billy gave me my first beer when I was 14."

"Maybe I should have stayed in Washington all these years," I thought out loud, "I would be a hell of a lot better at beer pong!"

"Yes, the true life lessons you need growing up," Peter said, and we all laughed.

My night had really turned around and I hadn't even thought about Edward or Tanya for the last couple hours, but when Peter's phone rang, those worries came flooding back to the forefront of my mind. Why hadn't I heard from anyone yet? What if something was wrong?

"Hey man, what's up?" Peter said into his cell. "Yeah we're broke in to the hot tub at this little motel up the road."  
"No, we're all good, just been boozin' and havin' some laughs."  
"Yeah, she's right here. Do you want to talk to her?"  
"Bella, it's Jasper. He wants to talk to you." Peter handed me his phone.

"Jazz? Is everything okay?" I asked quickly.

"It's me," Edward's voice came through the speaker, concern audible in his voice.

"Hi."

"How come you haven't been answering my calls? I was starting to worry that something happened to you. I made Jasper call Peter"

"Well, I was trying not to sit in a panic while I couldn't talk to you, so I started hanging out and trying to have a good time. I guess it worked; I haven't checked my phone in a couple hours. What happened with Tanya?"

"I'll tell you all about it when I see you. I don't want to talk about it over the phone. It's all worked out, at least for the time being."

I sighed in relief. Could this mean that I could finally start having a normal relationship with Edward? I was so ready to be with him, and so tired of dealing with Tanya. I felt bad for her, but she was really getting in the way of what I wanted. "Good. Well, where are you now?"

"Back home. I was planning on going to sleep, but my bed seems kind of lonely." He was teasing me now, knowing we were finally both safe. I decided to play back.

"Oh, well I'd like to help you out with that, but I've got my hands full with all these men around me."

"And me!" Charlotte yelled, which finally alerted the guy at the front desk that we were there. He came running out to the pool area yelling something at us and pulling out his phone.

"Shit! Run!" Peter yelled and I quickly told Edward that I would see him at his apartment when I got back before I hung up. We high-tailed it out of there and sprinted for what seemed like forever before we felt like we were in the clear. All huffing and full of giggles, we walked the rest of the way back to campus. When we got back to my apartment, Charlotte and Peter said goodnight, and headed back home. Jacob passed out on the couch almost instantaneously, and Embry headed for Alice's bed. With Angela in mine, Quil started grabbing pillows to make up the floor for himself.

"You can sleep in Edward's apartment if you want. His couch should be open. Or, if you're lucky, Emmett's room. But Alice and Jasper may have taken it for privacy."  
"Sounds good. Lead the way." We walked the short distance over to Edward's apartment together. I didn't really know Quil that well, but like Jacob, it's hard not to get that instant feeling of closeness with him. He was big as a house; it seemed that all the rez kids did was play beer pong and work out. It felt like they could all almost be brothers. I noticed his long black hair, pulled back in the same ponytail that Jake and Embry wore, and his skin, bronzed to the point where I knew I looked ghostly walking next to him. I pointed out the difference in our skin colors, and he teased me, saying that if I was any whiter, I'd have to be albino. He told me about the relationship he had just got out of with a girl named Leah. He said she was a nice girl, but he knew that she wasn't the kind of girl he wanted to get serious with. There was this maturity about him and I suddenly understood what people meant when they told me I was an old soul. Quil was the same way.

"Yeah, I mean, I feel like I was just leading her on. I could tell she wanted to get really serious, and I wasn't ready for that. For Quilutes, it's not uncommon to get married right after high school. That's not for me, though. I know I'm not old enough to be doing all that, and I really want to go off to college somewhere and really experience my youth," he explained to me.

"That's really smart, Quil. I'm so glad you ended it when you did, too. It would have been so unfair to her," I responded.

"That's what I was really trying to avoid. She's such a great person; I hope she gets what she wants from someone. She deserves it."

When we got to Edward's, the door was unlocked. As I turned the knob to walk in, I heard Edward come out of his room to greet me. "Did Alice and Jasper take Emmett's room?" I asked.

"Yeah," he answered, looking a little puzzled that Quil was standing next to me.

"Angela fell asleep so I let her take my bed. I told Quil he could take the couch here."

"Oh, yeah, that's fine. Make yourself at home, man," Edward said as he gestured out to the couch.

"Well, I'm pretty beat," I said, to no one in particular. "Goodnight, Quil. Edward, shall we?"

"Night, and thanks, Edward." Quil said.

Edward and I walked into his room and he shut the door behind us. No sooner had the door clicked did his lips meet mine with urgency like I had never felt before. His arms snaked around me and pulled me flush against him as he led us over to his bed. He pulled me on top of him and stripped me of my sweatshirt, leaving me with only a half-wet bikini top. "God, you're beautiful," he muttered before I pushed my lips back down to his. My hands found their way under his shirt, feeling every muscle on his chest and back. I robbed him of the offending clothing, yearning to feel his skin on mine. He kissed down my neck to my collarbone, sucking slightly on the skin there. I moaned, loving the feel. His fingertips inched up my torso, slipping under my swimsuit and flicking my taut nipples. I started to writhe on him, wanting all of him. He groaned and thrust his hips toward me while untying my top. I pushed back down on him, the friction between us driving me insane. Edward pulled me to his side, and bent his head down so his lips were hovering above my left breast. He blew cold air out, causing shivers to run down my spine.

Growing impatient, I worked my hand down his body, slipping under his boxers. From here, I was a little lost, but I quickly fell into the rhythm, pumping quickly. "Ughhhh, Oh. God, Bella," Edward let spill from his lips. He kneaded my breasts and thrust his tongue into my mouth. I could feel his whole body tense and I knew that he must be getting close. I pulled my lips away from his and kissed down his abdomen. He jerked a little, trying to stop me. "Bella, you don't have to."

"I know, Edward," I was a little flustered. I wanted to make him feel good, why did he want to stop me? "This is what I want."

"Okay," he breathed. I could see he wasn't going to resist much longer. I resumed kissing down his stomach, pulling his boxers down as I moved. I hovered over him for a moment, before wrapping my lips around him, trying to fit as much as I could into my mouth. What I couldn't fit, I pumped with my hand, working him up and down. Edward wriggled and writhed beneath me whispering the occasional "Fuck" and "God" until I felt him spill into my mouth and his body went limp. "You are amazing," he said, breathing heavily.

"I just wanted to make you feel the way you make me feel," I said shyly.

"My turn," he said with a wicked smile. With one quick movement, I was under him and he was massaging my left breast, sucking on my right, and his left hand was pulling my sweatpants down. He switched sides, letting his right hand find me, making little circles around my folds. He slipped a long finger in and I moaned loudly, pressing against his hand. He kissed me hard and then moved down my body, headed straight for my bundle of nerves. His tongue explored unknown territory, and my head reeled. Edward added a second finger, and his hands and his mouth worked expertly with one another. I could feel my heart beating faster, I was close to coming. He knew it too, pumping harder, pushing me over the edge. Waves of pleasure crashed over me, and now we were both breathing hard.

He moved back up the bed and laid down next to me. "I've been wanting to do that all damn day," he said with a laugh. I curled into his side and took his hand into mine.

"It was pretty nice," I responded. My mind flashed for a minute to Tanya, but I would ask about it later. For now, all I wanted was to sleep next to my boyfriend.


End file.
